Volodymyr Zelenskyy strikes two Russian oil refineries to limit Moscow's war funding
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian forces struck two major Russian oil refineries, the Bashneft-Novoil and Slavneft-Yanos, located hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border. These long-range strikes aim to limit the oil revenues Russia uses to finance its ongoing war. The Slavneft-Yanos refinery, one of Russia's largest facilities, faced its largest-ever drone attack, with 93 drones shot down by regional air defense. Mikhail Evraev, the governor of the Yaroslavl region, confirmed that falling debris from the drones hit storage tanks, causing fires and injuring four people. Simultaneously, Ukraine targeted military patrol boats and shadow fleet vessels in the Black Sea to counter Russian maritime movements. While Ukraine's energy infrastructure is under pressure, Russian forces have increased missile strikes on Ukrainian cities to exploit Kyiv's shortage of ballistic missile interceptors. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that these strategic strikes are strengthening the chances for diplomacy by creating pressure points on Russia's economy and energy production.