13 Killed as Ukraine Strikes Oil Refinery in Russia's Tatarstan
At least 13 people, including one child and seven Uzbek citizens, were killed and 75 injured when Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery and a nearby hostel in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, more than 1,100 km from the Ukrainian border. [5] This incident unfolded amid Russia strikes on settlements in Donetsk Oblast that separately claimed civilian lives. [4] The attack on the facility lasted several hours overnight and into the morning, with verified images showing large plumes of smoke and flames. [5]
Deadly Strike on Nizhnekamsk Refinery
The strike targeted the Tanevo oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk. [5] Local officials confirmed one child was among the dead, and the Uzbek consulate in Tatarstan stated that seven of those killed were citizens of Uzbekistan. [5] Most of the victims had been staying in a hostel at the time of the attack, according to Russia's Investigative Committee, which noted that civilian individuals who were not involved in any military operations were present where the drones struck. [5] Nizhnekamsk Mayor Radmir Belayev described the deaths as a tremendous pain for all of us, while the head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, confirmed the strike and shared condolences with the families of the deceased. [5] Ukraine's Armed Forces said the city's Tanevo oil refinery had been hit, marking one of the deadliest single attacks on Russia since the start of Moscow's full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022. [5]
Ukrainian Long-Range Strike Campaign
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck 102 Russian assets on 6-7 August, including ten energy facilities and six shadow fleet vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. [2] Kyiv has recently stepped up its long-range strikes on facilities it says contribute revenue and logistics to Russia's war on Ukraine. [5] The facilities Ukraine targets are used to carry out attacks against Ukraine, manufacture weapons, support Russia's war effort, said Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation. [5] Oil refineries in Nizhnekamsk had already been hit once on 12 June. [5] Ukraine's Kovalenko added that every civilian death in Russia is on President Vladimir Putin and that Russians should direct their grievances at Putin and at the decisions made within their own country. [5]
Power outage hits Russian cities Gelendzhik and Novorossiysk amid Ukrainian drone threat. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Russian Air Defence Response
More than 450 Ukrainian drones were shot down by the Russian air defences overnight across Russia, Moscow said. [5] Russian air defences claimed to have shot down more than 450 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions, including 13 near Moscow and attacks repelled over Sevastopol in occupied Crimea. [3] In the situation around Moscow, 13 drones were successfully downed or jammed with electronic warfare means as they attempted to reach administrative and industrial zones of the Russian capital, with no serious material damage or injured citizens reported in the Moscow region. [3] At the same time, an intensive offensive was launched against Sevastopol, where local occupation authorities confirmed that Russian military forces entered an active defence mode using air defence systems and mobile fire groups to engage low-flying targets. [3]
Power Outages in Krasnodar Krai
The Russian cities of Gelendzhik and Novorossiysk have been left without power amid a Ukrainian drone threat. [2] There is also no electricity in the surrounding villages and in Novorossiysk, while in the city of Krasnodar more than 70 traffic lights are not working because of an emergency power cut. [2] A warning about a possible Ukrainian drone attack has been in effect in Gelendzhik since early morning, with sirens sounding intermittently and beaches closed. [2] Gelendzhik's municipal control centre said the outage occurred because an automated load-shedding system was triggered at a higher-level grid organisation. [2] The so-called operational staff in Russia's Krasnodar Krai claimed that the power supply will be restored within the next two hours. [2]
Ukrainian drones downed en route to Moscow lie on the ground near the city. — Source: gdelt
Russian Attacks on Donetsk Oblast
Russian forces have attacked Donetsk Oblast, killing one civilian and injuring seven. [4] On 10 August at 10:03, the invaders dropped a FAB-250 aerial bomb equipped with a UMPK guidance kit on the settlement of Bilenke in the Kramatorsk hromada, where a 55-year-old local man sustained fatal injuries and two women aged 56 and 75 were also injured, with fifteen residential properties damaged. [4] At 11:10, Russian forces attacked Kramatorsk using a Molniya-2 UAV that struck near an apartment building and injured three civilians aged 26, 41 and 48. [4] At 11:45, the aggressor's state army attacked Druzhkivka, followed by an attack on Sloviansk at 15:40, using FPV drones in both cases that injured two women pensioners aged 71 and 62. [4] Those injured were diagnosed as suffering from blast injuries, multiple shrapnel wounds and concussion, and pre-trial investigations have been launched under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which covers war crimes. [4]
Broader Context of Escalating Strikes
Nima Moradi was a 23-year-old sailor on his maiden voyage aboard Anna, a commercial ship in the Caspian Sea carrying iron from Russia to Iran. [1] The boat he was travelling on was hit by a Ukrainian long-range drone on 25 July, and Moradi was killed in the attack while another crew member was wounded. [1] In a post on social media, Moradi's father Masoud wrote: “My son, I can’t believe the sadness your absence brings – you left me... we are in pain without wet tears.” [1] Kyiv has become increasingly successful at carrying out long-range strikes on Russia, often targeting warehouses or energy infrastructure, with civilian casualties mounting. [5] Moscow, meanwhile, continues to target Ukraine with regular large-scale aerial attacks on cities and residential centres, and last week a combined drone and missile strike on Kyiv killed 21 people. [5]
What to watch next: Moscow said that all those involved in the attacks would face inevitable and severe punishment, while Ukrainian strikes on energy facilities and shadow fleet vessels continue alongside Russian responses in multiple regions.
