Ukraine strikes Lukoil offshore oil platforms in Caspian Sea
(Bloomberg) – Ukraine overnight targeted three drilling platforms in the Caspian Sea owned by Russian oil major Lukoil in the latest move to weaken Russia’s economic capacity to fund its war effort.
The platforms, V. Filanovsky, Yuri Korchagin, and Valery Grayfe, sustained direct hits, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on its Telegram channel. The extent of the damage is being assessed, it added. The facilities were targeted multiple times by Ukraine in December.
Lukoil didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment outside of regular business hours.
In a separate operation, Kyiv’s forces struck a Buk-M3 medium-range air defense missile launcher in a part of Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine that’s under Russian control, with preliminary reports indicating multiple hits and explosions, according to a statement.
Another strike targeted a warehouse of a material and technical support unit in Kherson region, aiming to disrupt Russia’s logistics and combat capabilities.
Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russia’s energy assets - from refineries to sea terminals and so-called shadow fleet tankers - as a way to reduce the revenue that helps Moscow fund its war effort.
Russian forces have targeted energy infrastructure across its neighbor’s territory, including power plants, with strikes leading to widespread electricity and heating outages across Ukraine.
Separately, local officials said one person was killed and at least four wounded overnight in a Ukrainian drone strike on the city of Voronezh in southwestern Russia. Governor Alexander Gusev said 17 UAVs were neutralized in what he called one of the largest drone attacks on the city since the start of the war.
Pictured above: Yuri Korchagin field.
