Ukraine targeted energy sites in Russia, striking an oil refinery and oil pumping station in a blistering drone attack onslaught. The Saratov refinery in South-west Russia went up in flames as drones struck the facility, which Kyiv claims was supplying Moscow’s war effort.

The refinery belongs to Russia’s state energy company, Rosneft. Local Russian Governor, Roman Busargin, said Ukrainian drones had damaged civilian infrastructure in Sunday’s attack, but did not give details. Independent Russian news channel Astra reported that an oil refinery was on fire in the city of Saratov.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on social media on Sunday: “Tonight, our soldiers applied Ukraine’s long-range sanctions against an oil refinery in Saratov, Russia — approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the front line. A significant achievement.”

Drone debris also set fire to a fuel depot in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, which borders Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, Governor Yuriy Slyusar posted on Telegram on Sunday. He said residents from nearby homes were evacuated.

Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed its forces were behind the strike on the facility in the town of Matveev Kurgan. Local authorities said a drone strike on the depot caused a large fire across a wide area.

According to its General Staff, Ukraine ​also struck the Lazarevo pumping station in Russia’s Kirov region northeast of Moscow, more than 745 miles (1,200 kilometres) from Ukrainian-controlled land. The facility helps ship Russian oil ​from Siberia to Belarus.

Regional Governor Alexander Sokolov said drones hit ​a facility in the Kirov region, but he didn’t provide any more detail.

Kyiv has stepped up its attacks on Russia’s oil and gas facilities in recent months, arguing that the energy sector funds and fuels Moscow’s invasion.

Russia, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of hitting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in a drone strike. Kyiv denied the accusation.

Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom said on Saturday that the drone exploded after tearing a hole in the wall of a turbine hall.

Rosatom’s CEO Alexei Likhachev accused Ukraine of a deliberate attack.

He said: “This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6, resulting in a detonation.”

Ukraine’s military said it did not target or strike the plant, describing the Russian claim as “yet another propaganda ploy”.

A military statement said Ukraine complies with international humanitarian law and is aware of the consequences of any actions targeting nuclear facilities.

Russian forces captured the Zaporizhzhia plant in the early weeks of the war, and it remains close to the front lines in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

The nuclear plant has repeatedly come under fire since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, sparking fears of a nuclear accident.

Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for targeting the plant, the largest in Europe.