Ukrainian drones hit Russian oil sites, tankers ablaze
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- Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Tver (western Russia) per acting Gov. Vitaly Korolyov, and set oil reservoirs ablaze in Vyazniki, Stavropol region, where Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov ordered evacuations of nearby apartment buildings as the fire expanded.
- Ukrainian drones set two oil tankers ablaze in the Sea of Azov, with Rostov Gov. Yuri Slusar confirming crews were evacuated and one ship still burning — the latest in a series aimed at cutting fuel supplies to Russia-occupied Crimea.
- Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 73 Ukrainian drones from late Wednesday to early Thursday, while Ukraine's Air Force reported Russia fired 94 long-range strike drones and two ballistic missiles overnight, with 19 drones and both missiles damaging 13 locations.
- Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil infrastructure have triggered a widespread fuel crisis, with gasoline shortages and rationing reported across multiple regions and drivers waiting hours to fill their tanks.
- Trump, meeting Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, pledged a U.S. license for Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense systems and praised his willingness to end the war — a markedly different tone from their acrimonious February 2025 White House encounter.
Why it matters: Ukraine is simultaneously squeezing Russia's domestic fuel supply — gasoline shortages, rationing, and multi-hour lines at pumps — and degrading maritime fuel shipments to occupied Crimea, while securing a Trump-brokered license to manufacture Patriots that Kyiv has long sought against Russia's nightly barrages of 94 drones and ballistic missiles.
