Fire at a Russian oil refinery after a Ukrainian drone strike, August 2, 2025

Tuesday’s Coverage: Kyiv Strikes Key Facilities in Russia and Occupied Crimea

Ukraine is increasing natural gas imports by 30% after recent Russian airstrikes on its energy infrastructure.

After a meeting with Western ambassadors, Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk told reporters, “We plan to import throughout the coldest months, although the priority now is to secure imports for October-December and, if necessary, for other months.”

She said the volume depends on the speed of recovery, the intensity and targeting of Russian attacks, and the severity of damage to the gas transport system.

“We are preparing for various scenarios, including the worst-case ones,” Hrynchuk assured.

The Antipinsky refinery in the Tyumen region is around 2,000 km (1,240 miles) from the Ukrainian border. It has a processing capacity of 9 million tons of crude per year.

Tyumen residents posted videos online showing fire trucks and ambulances rushing toward the refinery late Monday. Local channels on Telegram reported at least two explosions and mobile network disruptions.

Regional authorities said emergency crews were dispatched to an industrial site in Antipino after reports of explosions and fire, but claimed that no blaze was found. Less than 30 minutes later, they said three drones were “detected and neutralized on the premises of an enterprise”.

“A prompt response from emergency services prevented a detonation. There were no casualties, explosions or fires. All enterprises in the area continue to operate normally,” declared the Tyumen government press service.

In contrast, Andriy Kovalenko of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council posted, “It’s a bad night for the Antipinsky refinery in Tyumen”.

The attacks came hours after Ukrainian drones struck a series of high-value facilities supportedly Russia’s 44 1/2-month full-scale invasion.

They included two airbases, a major ammunition deport, and the largest oil refinery in Russian-occupied Crimea; a major explosives plant in the Nizhny Novgorod region; and energy facilities in Belgorod in western Russia.

Zelensky: Toughen Measures v. Russia’s Shadow Fleet

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on partners to toughen measures against Russia’s “shadow fleet”, aging tankers used to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil and to carry out sabotage operations.

He noted that tankers are suspected of launches of Russian drones, including over Denmark last month which closed airports and put military installations on alert.

Danish police suspected that the Boracay was involved in the launches. The ship was later boarded and halted by French troops, and its captain is scheduled to go on trial in February on charges of failing to cooperate with authorities.

Zelensky said:

We share the information we have with our partners, and it is crucial that they take tangible steps in response to Russia….

The Russians must know that none of their destructive actions – all the vile things they do – will go unanswered by the world.