Zelensky Claims Ukraine Will Expand Its Attack Range to Russia

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said Ukraine would continue to increase the range of its attacks in Russia, posting footage he said was of an attack on a target at a distance of more than 1,500 km (930 miles).

A Ukrainian drone attack on Tuesday caused a massive fire at a Russian oil refinery in the Black Sea port of Tuapse, the third attack on the refinery in less than two weeks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the attack as proof of Ukraine's increased attacks on civilian targets.

President Zelensky said Ukraine's security services had reported successful attacks deep inside Russia, calling it "a new stage in the use of Ukrainian weapons to limit Russia's war potential" in a post on X.

The Ukrainian president posted a video of smoke billowing into the sky but did not identify the target hit.

"The straight line distance is more than 1,500 kilometers. We will continue to expand this range," he added, as reported by Al Arabiya from Reuters (30/4).

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Security Service, SBU, said in a subsequent post that their drones attacked a Russian oil pumping station near the city of Perm last night, about 1,500 km from Ukraine.

Ukraine has stepped up its attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, aiming to cripple oil refineries, depots and ports and cripple Moscow's biggest source of funding for its war in Ukraine, as global prices rise due to the Iran war.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said that since 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine has increased its range of attacks against Russia by 170 percent.

Ukraine has been building up stocks of domestically produced long-range weapons since the 2022 invasion.

In February, Ukrainian drones attacked the Ukhta refinery in Russia's Komi region, about 1,750 km from the Ukrainian border, regional officials said.

"It is very important that every attack reduces the ability of the Russian military industry, logistics and oil exports," said President Zelensky.