Drone Attacks on Russian Oil Facilities Increase: Escalation Instead of Relaxation

A drone attack on an oil depot in the southern Russian region of Stavropol has once again drawn attention to the tense situation between Russia and Ukraine. The local governor, Vladimir Vladimirov, confirmed the incident and noted that the attack is part of a series of suspected Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy targets. Fortunately, there were no injuries in the attack on the oil depot in Svetlograd. A video released by Baza, a Telegram channel with close ties to the Russian security services, shows large fireballs engulfing at least one of the fuel tanks. On Thursday, several energy facilities in central Russia's Bashkortostan, including the major oil company Bashneft, controlled by Rosneft, were targets of a Ukrainian drone attack. Such incidents stand in contrast to recent reports suggesting early dialogue between Ukraine and Russia on a possible cessation of air strikes—a report that the Kremlin immediately denied. Russia labeled the attacks as terrorist acts and made it clear that there will be no compromises. Despite alleged talks about a potential halt to the attacks, the chairman of the Defense Committee in the Russian lower house, Andrei Kartapolov, stated that such discussions are not taking place. Meanwhile, the European Commission announced that Russia has crippled large parts of Ukraine's energy supply. The EU plans to restore about 15 percent of Ukraine's energy needs through EU-funded repairs, according to President Ursula von der Leyen recently.