KYIV – Russian drones struck roadside gas stations in Kyiv for the second consecutive day Friday, widening an air campaign that Ukrainian officials say is intended to frighten and unsettle civilians.
Attacks on gas stations in urban areas have increased in recent months, particularly in eastern and southern Ukrainian regions close to the front line. Ukrainian authorities say the strikes are part of a broader effort to disrupt everyday life and undermine public morale. Food distribution centers have also been targeted, at times leaving supermarket shelves in the capital partially empty.
As Russia’s full-scale invasion enters its fifth year, Ukraine is urgently seeking to strengthen its air defenses. On Thursday, Canada pledged additional support.
Ukraine has also expanded its own long-range drone strikes far inside Russia, putting pressure on air defenses across its much larger neighbor’s vast territory. Kyiv’s military said Thursday that it struck a refinery in Siberia more than 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) away, part of its drive to damage Russia’s crucial oil industry. The campaign has contributed to fuel shortages in Russia, one of the world’s largest energy producers.
Russian exports of oil products fell to record lows in August, while Moscow began importing fuel from South Korea and India, according to a report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
“Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s refining capacity have turned tables on the world’s once largest oil product exporter to see them start importing fuels, with imports surging to a record 172,000 metric tons (189,600 tons) in August — more than seven times the previous monthly high,” the Finland-registered nonprofit said Thursday.
Ukraine urges people not to remain near gas stations
Two Kyiv gas stations were hit by drones within 10 minutes Friday, in the Dniprovskyi and Obolonskyi districts. Five people were injured, including a rescuer, the State Emergency Service said.
Ukrainian officials and analysts had warned for months that Russia could extend its attacks on gas stations to Kyiv as part of an effort to intimidate the civilian population.
“Russia is systematically attacking places where it knows people will be spending their time going about their daily lives, seeking to maximize casualties, spread fear, and put pressure on Ukrainian society,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X late Thursday.
Authorities have urged residents not to linger near gas stations and other exposed infrastructure during air raid alerts.
Russian shopping mall strikes kill 5 in central Ukraine
Pavlohrad, a city in central Ukraine, observed an official day of mourning Friday for five residents killed near shopping malls in broad daylight by Russian drones the previous day.
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The attack also wounded 67 people, Sybiha said on X.
In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a 32-year-old woman and her 10-year-old son were wounded in an overnight Russian drone attack, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. The drones struck a nine-story apartment block and a shopping mall, it said.
Efforts to put out the blazes were slowed by the constant threat of repeat strikes, forcing firefighters to stop working and take shelter, it added.
Russia says it stopped 777 Ukrainian drones
Ukraine launched a major barrage overnight from Thursday to Friday, with the Russian Defense Ministry saying air defenses intercepted 777 Ukrainian drones over 16 Russian regions, as well as occupied Crimea and the waters of the Azov and the Caspian seas.
Two people were killed and three others wounded overnight in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Tula region south of Moscow, local officials said Friday.
A Ukrainian drone strike during the night started a fire at the Saratov oil refinery in southwestern Russia, Russian independent online outlet Astra said Friday.
Kyiv has repeatedly targeted that refinery, which was last hit in early August.
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Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.
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