Russian strikes injure six in Ukraine as fuel crisis deepens into Siberia

Six people were wounded in overnight Russian airstrikes across Ukraine, local authorities said Tuesday, as the capital Kyiv briefly issued an air raid alert urging residents to take shelter in the early hours.

The attacks came shortly after Ukraine struck a plant producing electronic components for missiles in Russia’s Voronezh region on Monday. The regional governor said the strike killed five people and injured dozens.

Both countries have continued exchanging long-range attacks as the war stretches into its fifth year, with fighting intensifying across multiple fronts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been seeking sustained support from Western allies while also pushing for accelerated European Union accession talks.

In Ukraine’s southeast, Governor Ivan Fedorov said two people required medical assistance after Russian strikes hit the Zaporizhzhia region. In the northern Sumy region, emergency services reported three additional injuries following late-night attacks.

In the northeast city of Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said one woman was injured in a drone strike on Monday evening. Kyiv authorities briefly issued an air raid alert early Tuesday before lifting it.

Zelenskiy has warned in recent days that Russia was preparing what he described as a major new offensive, though Moscow has repeatedly said its military operations are routine responses to Ukrainian actions. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Authorities said details of the latest strikes could not be independently verified.

Fuel crisis deepens inside Russia

Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy and logistics infrastructure, targeting maritime routes and supply lines. The strikes have contributed to fuel shortages in parts of Russia and areas under Russian control in Ukraine.

Kyiv has also expanded drone strikes on energy facilities deep inside Russian territory, including targets as far as Siberia, more than 2,000 kilometers from the front line, disrupting supplies of gasoline and diesel in the world’s third-largest oil producer.

The shortages have spread from Russian-occupied Crimea to several eastern regions, as well as to the Omsk region in southwestern Siberia near the Kazakhstan border.

The regional governor of Omsk said fuel sales were being restricted to prevent panic buying and speculation, introducing limits of 40 liters per vehicle for gasoline and 80 to 200 liters for diesel depending on location. Sales of fuel in portable containers have also been banned.

Russia’s war in Ukraine has prompted NATO members to increase defense spending and deepen cooperation with Kyiv, including discussions on potential joint drone production. Sweden and Finland have also joined the alliance in response to shifting regional security dynamics.

Separately, Russia’s Defense Ministry said strategic missile-carrying bombers conducted a 16-hour flight over the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea, escorted by foreign fighter jets in neutral airspace. The ministry did not identify the countries involved.

Russia borders NATO members Norway and Finland, underscoring continued military tensions in the region. -Reporting by Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo; Editing by Lincoln Feast and David Dolan./Reuters