Ukraine War Briefing: Drone Strikes Target russian Oil Refinery, Railway Attacks Surge
Kyiv – A drone strike hit an oil refinery in Russia‘s Ryazan region overnight, while Ukraine reports a threefold increase in attacks on its railway infrastructure as July, as fighting continues.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, a Russian attack resulted in one fatality, according to regional governor Ivan Federov.
Meanwhile, the US has stated it will not lift sanctions on Serbian oil company NIS unless Belgrade terminates its majority Russian ownership. Serbia’s energy minister, Dubravka Đedović Handanović, warned her country faces “difficult” decisions, noting the US demands a “complete change of Russian shareholders” by February 13th. NIS is currently 45% owned by sanctioned Gazprom Neft, with Gazprom holding an additional 11.3% stake transferred to another Russian firm, Intelligence. The serbian state holds nearly 30% of NIS.
Ukraine’s railway system, vital for freight – carrying over 63% of the country’s goods including grain – and passenger traffic (37%), has seen escalating attacks. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba stated attackers are “going after trains, especially trying to kill the drivers.”
Domestically,Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced an overhaul of state-owned energy companies following allegations of $100m in embezzlement. Zelenskyy has already ordered the resignation of two ministers and sanctioned a former buisness partner allegedly involved in the scheme. He called for a new supervisory board at Energoatom – the state nuclear company – to be established “within a week” and swift appointments for new leadership at Ukrhydroenergo and Naftogaz.
