Ukraine claims attack on Russian oil depot in retaliation for Moscow's attacks

The Ukrainian military described the attack on an oil depot inside Russian territory as “just” revenge, the latest in a series of escalating cross-border offensives.

The troops of the nation invaded by Moscow for nearly two years took credit for the attack with unmanned aircraft that this January 19 hit the fuel facility in the city of Klintsy, in the Bryansk region, western Russia.

Four oil tanks with a total capacity of 6,000 cubic meters caught fire. Although one of the drones was electronically jammed, its explosive charge fell on the facility. Another was shot down on the spot, according to regional governor Alexander Bogomaz.

“The Ministry of Defense shot down a drone by radio-electronic means. When the air target was destroyed, its ammunition was dropped on the territory of the Klintsy oil depot,” Bogomaz said.

No casualties or injuries were reportedBegomaz pointed out, but 13 fire trucks were deployed to fight the fire.

Images released by local authorities showed a huge fireball passing through the crude oil storage tanks, while a cloud of black smoke rose over the city of about 60,000 inhabitants.

kyiv's forces targeted not only the oil facility but other areas of the border region. Two of the unmanned aircraft were intercepted by Moscow troops, the regional governor said.

The Ukrainian Army stressed that this Friday's attack is part of retaliation for the incessant attacks by the invading forces that for months have devastated the infrastructure of their country.

Belgorod canceled its traditional Orthodox Epiphany festivities on Friday due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks.

For months, kyiv has denounced that the attacks by Vladimir Putin's Army do not exclusively target military targets, but rather the civilian population. Many of the attacks have targeted electrical power infrastructure, causing blackouts and further damage in the devastated nation.

But that tactic has also been used by troops from both countries to disrupt their opponent's supply and logistics lines, as they try to gain some advantage in the war that appears stagnant and with no signs of ending any time soon.

Russia tries to advance in Kharkiv; at least one woman killed in Moscow attack

Russian troops are trying to advance in the city of Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, where this Friday one of their bombings killed a 57-year-old woman.

In addition, a man lost his life after stepping on a landmine, the office of the President of Ukraine reported.

“In the Kupiansk sector, the units of the Zapad (West) group continued to improve their positions in some sections of the front,” the Russian Ministry of Defense indicated on January 19.

kyiv, for its part, tried to counterattack in other locations in Russia, but without success, according to the authorities of that country. His forces fired a series of drones at a gunpowder mill in Tambov, a town about 600 kilometers south of Moscow. However, it did not cause damage, the local governor said.

Another attack with a Ukrainian unmanned aircraft took place on Thursday on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, but the device was shot down, the local Defense Ministry said.

However, the remains of the drone fell on the facilities of the Saint Petersburg oil terminal, in the southern end of the city, according to Vladimir Rogov, responsible for coordinating the regions of Ukraine annexed by Moscow.

Ukraine is in “active defense” in the Donbass region

The battles in the large Donbass region, where Russia concentrated its invasion in the first part of the war, are at a standstill, with no major advances by either side.

There, more than attack actions, The Ukrainian Army tries to resist and focuses on “active defense”said Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, a key figure in kyiv's response to Russia's full-scale invasion.

It is a less aggressive position that contrasts with kyiv's initial optimism regarding its expected counteroffensive last summer. But the Ukrainian advances were limited to a few kilometers due to the resistance of the invaders who also counterattacked from other places.

“Our objectives remain unchanged: maintain our positions (…) Exhaust the enemy, inflicting maximum losses,” said Syrskyi, Ukraine's number two commander.

Dressed in combat fatigues and speaking cautiously at an undisclosed location in the eastern Kharkiv region, the top military commander told Reuters how Russia was seeking to seize the initiative as the invasion approaches its second anniversary.

He noted that the Russian Army pressed in multiple directions along the eastern front, aiming to wrest full control of the Donbass industrial region, despite heavy losses in men and supplies.

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Now, in the winter, both sides' commitments are on a smaller scale to conserve ammunition and men, he added, suggesting that Moscow has also learned to react and stem losses.

“Battalion-level offensives are a great rarity,” Syrskyi said, adding that increased use of drones has forced a change in tactics.

kyiv is also trying to reserve weapons and military capabilities as the war drags on and aid enthusiasm from Western allies wanes, especially with the US Congress blocking new funding for this conflict. A support that Republicans condition on greater anti-immigration measures on the border between their country and Mexico.

There are still several months of winter left and the freezing temperatures could favor the movement of Russian tanks, whose men have been trying to gain tactical positions for weeks.

With Reuters and AP