Ukraine strikes Russian oil depots as Kyiv prepares for heavier bombardment

Ukrainian forces struck multiple Russian oil facilities overnight into Saturday, setting fires at depots in two southern regions and pushing back against what Moscow has signaled will be intensified attacks on Kyiv.

Authorities in Russia's Rostov region reported falling drone debris sparked a fire damaging an oil depot and tanker in the port of Taganrog. Across the border in Krasnodar, another oil depot in Armavir caught fire from the same cause. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the Armavir strike on X, noting the facility sits 500 kilometers from Ukraine's state border. "We are rightfully bringing the war back to where it came from," he wrote.

Ukraine has expanded its mid- and long-range strike capabilities using domestically developed drone and missile technology. Attacks on Russian oil assets—critical infrastructure funding the invasion—have become nearly daily. The assault reflects Ukraine's strategy of targeting Moscow's economic engine while defending against Russian air strikes.

Meanwhile, Kyiv is bracing for heavier bombardment. The Russian Foreign Ministry signaled earlier this week that "systemic strikes" on the capital are coming. Zelenskyy said Thursday he's pressing the United States for more Patriot air-defense missiles to counter devastating Russian ballistic-missile attacks. The tension spiked after a stray Russian drone struck an apartment building in eastern Romania on Friday, injuring two people in the NATO member country—a reminder that the conflict's edges increasingly blur into allied territory.