Ukrainian Drone Strike Kills Mother and Child in Russia, Ignites Oil Refinery Fire
KYIV: A Ukrainian drone attack on Wednesday claimed the lives of a mother and her two-year-old child in western Russia, according to local officials. The overnight assault also targeted an oil refinery and a nuclear facility, marking another escalation in aerial strikes between Russia and Ukraine.
The ongoing war, now approaching its third year, has seen an increase in cross-border attacks on military and energy infrastructure. The frequency of such strikes has intensified since Donald Trump’s victory in the last U.S. presidential election, as the Republican leader pushes for a swift resolution to the conflict.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, confirmed the civilian casualties, stating, “The most tragic outcome of this attack was the loss of a mother and her two-year-old child when a drone struck a residential building.” He added that another child and his father sustained injuries in the strike.
Russia’s defense ministry reported that it had intercepted 104 Ukrainian drones across several western regions, including Kursk, Bryansk, Smolensk, Tver, and Belgorod.
One of the strikes hit an oil refinery in Kstovo, located in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, approximately 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
According to Russian authorities, falling debris from a drone caused a fire at the refinery. Sibur, the petrochemical company that owns the facility, confirmed the incident, stating, “Debris from a drone attack led to a fire at the Sibur-Kstovo enterprise.” Both the company and the regional governor reported no casualties, while emergency responders worked to contain the blaze.
Unverified images circulating on social media depicted towering flames and thick smoke rising above an urban landscape, illuminating the night sky.
