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A Ukrainian soldier with a reconnaissance drone: Please stop attacks
Photo: Oleksandr Ratushniak / REUTERS
Ukraine has been intensifying its air strikes on Russian targets for weeks - the Ukrainian military has increasingly attacked oil refineries with drones. According to information from the Financial Times, the US government has now called on Kiev to stop attacks on the Russian energy infrastructure. The newspaper cites three insiders familiar with the discussions.
Washington is concerned that the drone attacks could drive up global oil prices and provoke retaliation. The repeated warnings were addressed to senior officials in Ukraine's State Security Service and its military intelligence directorate, the people told the Financial Times.
“Brash” attacks
The White House is increasingly frustrated by Ukrainian drone attacks that have hit oil refineries, terminals, depots and storage facilities across western Russia and affected oil production capacity. The attacks were seen as “brazen”.
The warnings come as Russia launches a massive wave of attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Several cities were without power on Friday, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of acting like "savages." In total, Russia attacked with around 90 missiles and 60 combat drones. Zelensky expressed his condolences to the “families of those killed by this terror.”
One of the Russian attacks also severed one of two high-voltage power lines that supply electricity to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine. But the nuclear power plant is out of danger. The attacks were the most massive air strikes on the Ukrainian energy industry in recent months.
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