KYIV – Russian drones struck roadside gas stations in Kyiv for the second day in a row Friday, as Moscow widened an air campaign that Ukrainian officials describe as an attempt to frighten civilians and disrupt daily life.
Attacks on gas stations in urban areas have increased in recent months, particularly in eastern and southern regions close to the front line. The strikes are part of a broader Russian effort to unsettle ordinary Ukrainians and erode morale, a campaign that has also targeted food distribution centers and, at times, left some supermarket shelves in the capital short of supplies.
With Russia’s full-scale invasion now in its fifth year, Ukraine is racing to strengthen its air defenses. Kyiv secured fresh promises of additional support from Canada on Thursday.
At the same time, Ukraine has expanded its own long-range drone attacks deep inside Russia, forcing Moscow to stretch air defenses across its vast territory. Ukraine’s military said Thursday it had hit a refinery in Siberia more than 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) away, as Kyiv seeks to damage Russia’s crucial oil industry. The strikes have contributed to fuel shortages in Russia, despite the country being one of the world’s largest energy producers.
Russia’s exports of oil products fell to record lows in August, while Moscow has begun importing fuel from South Korea and India, according to a report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
“Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s refining capacity have turned tables on the world’s once largest oil product exporter to see them start importing fuels, with imports surging to a record 172,000 metric tons (189,600 tons) in August — more than seven times the previous monthly high,” the Finland-registered nonprofit said Thursday.
Ukraine warns residents not to linger near gas stations
In Kyiv on Friday, drones hit two gas stations within 10 minutes in the Dniprovskyi and Obolonskyi districts. Five people were wounded, including a rescuer, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.
Ukrainian officials and analysts have warned for months that Russia could bring its gas station attacks to the capital as part of a wider campaign aimed at intimidating civilians.
“Russia is systematically attacking places where it knows people will be spending their time going about their daily lives, seeking to maximize casualties, spread fear, and put pressure on Ukrainian society,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X late Thursday.
Authorities have advised people to avoid spending time near gas stations and other vulnerable infrastructure whenever air raid alerts are in effect.
Russian shopping mall strikes kill 5 in central Ukraine
Pavlohrad, a city in central Ukraine, observed an official day of mourning Friday for five residents killed near shopping malls in broad daylight by Russian drones the previous day.
The attack also wounded 67 people, Sybiha said on X.
In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a 32-year-old woman and her 10-year-old son were wounded in an overnight Russian drone attack, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. The drones struck a nine-story apartment block and a shopping mall, it said.
Efforts to put out the blazes were slowed by the constant threat of repeat strikes, forcing firefighters to stop working and take shelter, it added.
Russia says it stopped 777 Ukrainian drones
Ukraine launched a major barrage overnight from Thursday to Friday, with the Russian Defense Ministry saying air defenses intercepted 777 Ukrainian drones over 16 Russian regions, as well as occupied Crimea and the waters of the Azov and the Caspian seas.
Two people were killed and three others wounded overnight in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Tula region south of Moscow, local officials said Friday.
A Ukrainian drone strike during the night started a fire at the Saratov oil refinery in southwestern Russia, Russian independent online outlet Astra said Friday.
Kyiv has repeatedly targeted that refinery, which was last hit in early August.
___
Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at
