WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Ukrainian drone sparks fire at Russian refinery - governor
A Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at an oil refinery in southern Russia and shelling hit a Russian town close to the border for the third time in a week, damaging buildings and setting vehicles ablaze, Russian officials said on Wednesday.
A day after Russia accused Ukraine of sending drones to attack buildings in Moscow, the governor of Russia's Krasnodar region said a drone was the likely cause of a fire that broke out at the Afipsky oil refinery.
The fire was soon extinguished and there were no casualties, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on the Telegram messaging app. The Afipsky refinery is not far from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, near another refinery that has been attacked several times this month.
There was no immediate information on who launched the drone but Moscow has accused Kyiv of increased attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, while Russia has repeatedly pounded Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles.
The skies over Ukraine were relatively quiet on Tuesday night, with no major air raids reported. Russian drone attacks killed one person and wounded four in Kyiv on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials.
The attacks inside Russia come as Ukraine prepares a counter-offensive to drive Russian forces out of territory occupied since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
A Ukrainian artillery strike wounded at least one person in the Russian town of Shebekino, about 7 km (4.5 miles) north of the border with Ukraine's Kharkiv region, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app.
Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks in Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.
DRONE WAR
Ukrainian drones struck wealthy districts of Moscow on Tuesday, Russia said in what one politician called the most dangerous attack on the capital since World War Two, while Kyiv was also hit from the air for the third time in 24 hours.
Aerial strikes by both sides have intensified amid a stalemate on the ground with Russian forces entrenched along an extended line in Ukraine's east and south.
The Russian defence ministry said eight drones sent to Moscow by Ukraine and targeting civilians were shot down or diverted with electronic jammers, though Baza, a Telegram channel with links to the security services, said there were more than 25.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential aide, denied Kyiv was directly involved but said "we are pleased to watch events" and forecast more such strikes.
Two people were injured while some apartment blocks were briefly evacuated, according to Moscow's mayor. Residents said they heard loud bangs followed by the smell of petrol. Some filmed a drone being shot down and a plume of smoke.
The drones targeted some of Moscow's most prestigious districts including where Russian President Vladimir Putin and other members of the elite have homes.
Putin said Ukraine's biggest drone strike on Moscow was an attempt to frighten and provoke Russia, and that air defences around the capital would be strengthened.
Civilian targets in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities have since the earliest days of the war been struck repeatedly by Russian drones and missiles.
But Tuesday marked only the second time Moscow had come under direct fire.
In Washington, the White House said it was gathering information on the reports of drones striking in Moscow.
"We do not support attacks inside of Russia. That's it. Period," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing.
Washington is a major supplier of weaponry to Ukraine on the condition it uses it to defend itself and to retake Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces.
Russia's ambassador to the United States accused Washington of encouraging "terrorists" in Kyiv by publicly ignoring the drone attack.
NUCLEAR THREAT
One of the southern places Russian forces have controlled since just after the beginning of the invasion is the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and on Tuesday the chief of the U.N. nuclear watchdog asked Ukraine and Russia to respect five principles to safeguard it. Neither Ukraine nor Russia have committed to respect the principles.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi has been trying for months to secure an agreement to reduce the risk of a nuclear accident from military activity like shelling at Zaporizhzhia, Europe's biggest nuclear power plant.
In a briefing to the U.N. Security Council, Grossi said the principles included that there should be no attack on or from the plant and that it not be used as a base for heavy weapons and other military equipment. He called for off-site power to the plant to remain available and secure.
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
UK backs Ukrainian terror attack on Moscow
In the aftermath of a drone attack on residential buildings in Moscow, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said that Ukraine has a right to “project force”beyond its borders. Among Ukraine’s Western backers, Britain has led the charge to arm Kiev with long-range weaponry.
Speaking to reporters in Estonia on Tuesday, Cleverly said that Ukraine has a “legitimate right to defend itself,” and can “project force beyond its borders to undermine Russia's ability to project force into Ukraine itself.”
Striking “legitimate military targets” within Russia is a viable self-defense tactic for Kiev’s forces, Cleverly added.
None of the eight drones used in Tuesday morning’s attack on Moscow hit military targets. Three were suppressed by electronic warfare measures and deviated from their intended course before crashing, while five were shot down by Pantsir-S air defense systems outside the city, the Russian Ministry of Defense said, describing the drone raid as “a terrorist attack” by “the Kiev regime.”
Several residential buildings were damaged and two people suffered minor injuries.
In a separate incident on Tuesday morning, the Ukrainian military shelled a civilian shelter in Russia’s western Belgorod Region, leaving several people dead and many injured, the region’s governor said in a statement.
The attacks came after Russia launched a heavy barrage of missiles and drones at Ukrainian airfields, ammunition dumps, and “decision-making centers”responsible for plotting similar terrorist actions, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Tuesday that the headquarters of the Ukrainian military’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) was among the decision-making centers hit.
In Washington, the White House issued a more cautious response to the drone attack. “As a general matter, we do not support attacks inside Russia,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
While the US has given the Ukrainian military more money than all other donors combined, President Joe Biden and his officials have repeatedly shot down Kiev’s requests for long-range weapons capable of striking deep within Russian territory. However, Britain has filled this role, announcing this month that it would arm Kiev with Storm Shadow cruise missiles – which can hit targets more than 250km away.
There are signs, however, that US policy may shift soon. Asked on Monday whether he would send long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, Biden told reporters that the idea was “still in play.”
** Kiev's strikes on Russian residential buildings are sign of terrorist activity — Putin
Kiev has chosen the path of intimidating Russian citizens by attacking civilian facilities, which is a clear sign of terrorist activity, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
He pointed out that during the special military operation Russia hit Ukrainian territory, but only military facilities and infrastructure. "Russia was forced to respond to the war unleashed by the Ukrainian regime in Donbass. [We] were forced to respond by launching a special military operation. [The Russian military] are striking Ukrainian territory, but with long-range precision weapons and specifically military infrastructure or ammunition depots," the head of state explained, commenting on this morning's drone attack on Moscow.
Putin stressed that "in response, the Kiev regime has chosen a different path - [the path of] trying to intimidate Russia, intimidate Russian citizens and attack residential buildings." "This, of course, is a clear sign of terrorist activity," the president said.
Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow and the Moscow Region on Tuesday morning. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the attack involved eight unmanned aerial vehicles, five of which were shot down by the Pantsir-S missile system and the remaining three were suppressed by electronic warfare. Two people in Moscow sought medical attention for minor injuries. A number of buildings sustained minor damage.
Reuters/RT/Tass