Ukraine says it struck a major oil refinery in the Volograd region as part of its drive to target Russian infrastructure tied to Moscow's war effort.
Ukraine's armed forces said in a statement on January 31 that the strikes targeted Lukoil-Volgogradneftoperobka, one of the 10 largest oil refineries in Russia in terms of capacity and a major supplier of oil products to the Russian Army.
"Combat work on strategic infrastructure, which directly affects the ability of the Russian Armed Forces to continue fighting against Ukraine, will continue," the General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a social media post.
Video and photographs posted on social media that have been verified by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty showed explosions and a large fire in the area of the refinery, which processes around 14 million tons of oil annually to produce gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
Volograd regional Governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed the refinery was hit by a Ukrainian drone attack, saying the fire was caused by falling debris from defense systems knocking the drones out of the sky.
SEE ALSO: Ukrainian Soldier Survives 80 Horrifying Days On Front LinesThe refinery has been the site of previous attacks, including one in May last year.
Ukraine has increased the intensity of its drone attacks at Russian refineries in recent months. Earlier this week, Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Analysts say the move hits Moscow's ability to supply troops with fuel to fight its almost three-year-long war against Ukraine, as well as cutting into its use of oil and fuel exports that are used to help fund the war effort.
Ukraine also claimed to have destroyed a Russian Army command post in the Kursk region overnight in the drone attacks.
Russia has not commented on the claim.