Drone Attack Ignites Fire at Volgograd Energy Plant, Prompting Supply Crisis
Drone Strikes Escalate Tensions and Disrupt Russian Energy Infrastructure
Volgograd Region Incident
July 31 (Reuters) - A drone attack touched off a fire at an energy facility and warehouses in Russia's Volgograd region on Friday, injuring five, the regional governor, Andrei Bocharov, said, but stopped short of giving details of the facility.
Impact on Local Energy Facilities
The region is home to a Lukoil-owned oil refinery. Five people are seeking medical help after the attacks, Bocharov added on Telegram.
Further Drone Attacks in Southern Russia
Rostov Region Incident
In the neighbouring southern region of Rostov, a woman was injured after a drone attack in the town of Gukovo, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said on the messaging app.
Ukraine's Strategy and Economic Fallout
Targeting Russian Logistics Hubs
Ukraine has recently stepped up attacks on Russian logistics hubs, such as those of top online retailer Wildberries, as it keeps up strikes on energy facilities that have triggered a supply crisis across most of Russia.
Wildberries' Response to Attacks
Wildberries, with a few of its warehouses hit as recently as Thursday, said on Telegram it had paid a second tranche of financial support to nearly 100,000 sellers whose goods were damaged.
Ukraine's Rationale for Strikes
Ukraine, with its own cities under constant Russian attack, says its strikes deep inside the neighbour are "long-range sanctions" designed to sap Moscow's war-fighting capacity and force it to end the 4-1/2-year conflict.
(Reporting by Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Clarence Fernandez)