1,200 km from Ukraine: Drones hit Druzhba oil pipeline facility in Tatarstan
Illustrative photo: SBU drones struck the Druzhba oil pipeline node in Tatarstan (facebook com SecurSerUkraine)
SBU drones struck the Kaleikino oil pumping station in Tatarstan, a key hub for transporting Russian oil, according to RBC-Ukraine's sources in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
Read also: Ukraine targets Druzhba pipeline: How attacks hit Russia and why Orbán is worried
Attack on the oil station
According to the sources, overnight long-range SBU drones attacked the main Kaleikino oil pumping station near Almetyevsk in Tatarstan.
The facility receives oil from Western Siberia and the Volga region, blends it, and prepares it for export. It is also a crucial node supplying crude to the Druzhba pipeline.
Consequences of the strike
Six explosions were heard during the attack, followed by a large-scale fire. According to the sources, oil storage tanks caught fire on the station’s premises.
The distance from the Ukrainian border to the Kaleikino station exceeds 1,200 kilometers.
An informed source said the SBU is systematically working to reduce Russia’s oil production and transportation capacity.
"Our special operations methodically reduce the inflow of petrodollars that finance the war against Ukraine into Russia’s budget. This work will continue to exhaust and gradually drain Russia’s economy," the SBU source said.
Earlier overnight, reports said unidentified drones attacked Russia’s Tatarstan. One of the key oil pumping stations, Kaleikino, was hit, sparking a fire on site.
It was also reported that Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Vtorovo oil pumping station in the Vladimir region. In addition, the Druzhba pipeline's infrastructure in Russia has been targeted several times. As a result of such strikes, supplies of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia were suspended.
