**Ukraine Strikes Back at Russia**
In a bold move, Ukraine’s military has targeted key oil facilities and military airfields inside Russia. According to reports from the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), they have hit an oil refinery in Ryazan, located about 180 kilometers southeast of Moscow, causing a fire on its premises.
The USF also claimed that another oil storage facility, Annanefteprodukt, was struck in the Voronezh region. This area borders northeastern Ukraine and has been a focus of conflict in recent months. The exact methods used to hit these targets were not specified by the USF, but it’s known that they specialize in drone warfare.
**Electronics Factory Also Hit**
Separately, Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency reported that its drones had attacked Russia’s Primorsko-Akhtarsk military airfield, which has been used for launching long-range drones at targets in Ukraine. The SBU also claimed to have hit a factory in Penza that supplies electronics to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
**Drones and Counter-Drone Warfare**
The battle between Ukraine and Russia is increasingly being fought in the skies, with both sides employing drones as a key component of their strategies. Ukrainian forces have built up a fleet of long-range kamikaze drones capable of carrying explosive warheads hundreds of kilometers into enemy territory. This has led to intense counter-drone warfare efforts by Russia.
**Downed Drones and Battlefield Updates**
Russia’s defense ministry reported that they had downed 338 Ukrainian drones overnight, although it did not specify how many had been launched at any given time. In contrast, Ukraine’s air force claimed to have shot down 45 of 53 Russian drones aimed at their territory during the same period.
**Russian Gains in Eastern Ukraine**
On the eastern battlefront, Russia reported that they had captured the village of Oleksandro-Kalynove in the Donetsk region. This would be a significant gain for Russian forces, who now control nearly 20% of Ukraine’s land area after three and a half years of grinding conflict.
**India Continues to Buy Oil from Russia**
Back in India, government sources indicated that the country will continue to purchase oil from Russia despite US pressure to halt these transactions. This is a significant step for India, which has traditionally maintained strong economic ties with Russia.
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