Ukrainian forces hit Nikolskoye oil pumping station in Russia, oil transport disrupted
Photo: Nikolskoye oil pumping station in Russia (Russian media)
On the night of August 18, the units of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in coordination with other components of the Defense Forces, struck the Nikolskoye oil pumping station in Russia’s Tambov region, according to the General Staff.
The strike caused a fire at the facility and a complete halt to oil pumping through the Druzhba pipeline.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the Nikolskoye station is part of Russia’s economic infrastructure and is used to support Russian forces.
"The Ukrainian Defense Forces are consistently working to reduce Russia’s military-economic potential to completely stop armed aggression," the statement reads.
Fires and explosions at Russian oil facilities
The Defense Forces have been systematically targeting Russia’s fuel infrastructure for a long time.
On August 4, a major fire broke out near an oil depot in Azov, Rostov region. Previously, Ukrainian drones also hit other Russian fuel storage sites, including in the Tambov region and the Republic of Adygea.
Another oil facility caught fire in the Rostov region. According to a source of RBC-Ukraine, this was a special operation by the SBU.
At the end of June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that SBU drones had already struck more than 30 oil refineries, terminals, and depots in Russia.
