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KYIV, Ukraine \u2014 Ukrainian drones struck a major Russian fuel depot for the second time in just over a week on Sunday, according to a senior Russian regional official, as part of a \u201cmassive\u201d cross-border attack on fuel and energy facilities that Kyiv says supply Moscow\u2019s military.<\/p>\n
The strikes came days after Russia launched sweeping attacks on Ukraine\u2019s already battered energy grid, threatening to plunge thousands of homes into darkness as winter tightens its grip over the region, and as Russia\u2019s all-out invasion of its neighbor nears the three-year mark.<\/p>\n
A fire broke out at the Stalnoy Kon oil terminal in Russia\u2019s southern Oryol region, local Gov. Andrey Klychkov said in a post on the Telegram messaging app, adding Russian forces downed 20 drones targeting \u201cfuel and energy infrastructure\u201d in the province.<\/p>\n
Russian independent news outlet Astra shared video of what it said was an explosion at the site, showing a massive orange blaze lighting up the night sky. While the clip could not be independently verified, it was later shared by a Ukrainian security official who described it as footage from Oryol.<\/p>\n
The official, Andriy Kovalenko of the Council of National Security and Defense, claimed the Oryol fuel depot supplies Russian forces fighting in Ukraine and southern Russia, including the Kursk province where Ukrainian troops have dug in following a lightning incursion in August.<\/p>\n
According to Klychkov, the Russian local governor, the fire was extinguished hours later and did not cause casualties or \u201csignificant\u201d damage.<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s military previously claimed to have struck the Stalnoy Kon terminal with drones on Dec. 14, causing a \u201cpowerful\u201d blaze.<\/p>\n
Other key war-related developments from Ukraine and Russia:<\/p>\n
\u2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday vowed retaliation after Ukrainian drones the day before struck residential buildings in the city of Kazan, in the Tatarstan region over 600 miles from the front line. Speaking to Tatarstan\u2019s regional governor, Rustam Minnikhanov, Putin asserted that anyone attacking Russia has to reckon with Moscow inflicting \u201cmany times greater damage\u201d in return, but did not elaborate. His remarks were carried by Russian state news agencies.<\/p>\n
Minnikhanov\u2019s press service on Saturday said that eight drones attacked Kazan. Local authorities said there were no casualties.<\/p>\n
\u2014 A 30-year-old man died on the spot Sunday in Ukraine\u2019s southern Kherson region after a Russian drone dropped explosives nearby, local Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin reported. Hours earlier, Prokudin said that two other civilians died as a result of Russian drone strikes on the province late on Saturday. A man in his late 40s suffered fatal injuries from a drone blast, and a woman was found dead under rubble after another drone slammed into her house.<\/p>\n
\u2014 In the Kharkiv region in the northeast, a Russian drone strike Sunday severely injured a 56-year-old man as he walked down a road in the city of Kupiansk, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov reported. He said the man would need to have at least one limb amputated as a result, but gave no further detail.<\/p>\n
\u2014 In the Kyiv suburb of Brovary, debris from a Russian drone sparked a fire late on Saturday on the roof of a 25-story tower block, according to regional Gov. Ruslan Kravchenko. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.<\/p>\n
\u2014 According to Ukraine\u2019s Air Force, Russia launched 103 Iranian-made Shahed drones at its neighbor overnight into Sunday. Ukrainian air defense shot down 52 of the drones while another 44 failed to reach their targets, the force said in a statement, in a likely reference to electronic jamming.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Meanwhile, Russia\u2019s Defense Ministry said Sunday that its forces had intercepted 42 Ukrainian drones launched overnight at Russian territory. According to the ministry, 20 of those were over the Oryol region, where the local governor said a blaze tore through the oil terminal.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Russian forces have continued grinding forward in Ukraine\u2019s northeast, in addition to eking out gains near the eastern town of Kurakhove. On Sunday, Russia\u2019s Defense Ministry reported that its troops had captured two northeastern settlements: Lozova in the Kharkiv region and Krasne in the Luhansk province. There was no immediate confirmation from Kyiv.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n