The factory, 550 miles from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled territory, is crucial to the Russian war effort. Separately, a swarm of drones attacked and ignited the Novo-Yaroslavsky Refinery in Yaroslavl. A downed unmanned plane killed a child and wounded his parents.
In Cherepovets, another plant AT Apatit – a key Russian producer of ammonium nitrate, used in military explosives – was also hit.
Moscow was forced to ban gasoline exports « with the aim of stabilising prices and ensuring priority supply to the domestic market ».
Ukraine also launched precision strikes on oil-exporting ports Ust-Luga and Primorsk, both seen in flames this week after Putin’s air defences failed to block the drones, and the second-largest oil refinery, Kirishi.
There were warnings today in Russia‘s second city, St. Petersburg, over air pollution from the strikes. The Kremlin also declared the possibility of « force majeure », with satellite images showing the carnage.
« This is the most serious threat to the export of Russian oil and petroleum products since the beginning of the war, » said oil and gas sector analyst Boris Aronstein. Up to 50% of Putin’s oil exports have been hit, he added.
Flamingo missiles are domestically produced and seen as a major Ukrainian innovation during the war.
Russia struck back overnight with a savage attack on civilians in Black Sea port of Odesa. At least one person died and over a dozen were injured, including a nine-year-old child, in a horrific explosion at a tower block in the city.
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