JAKARTA - President Vladimir Putin admitted that the Ukrainian attack affected Russia's fuel supply, but it had not reached a critical stage.
In an interview published by the Kremlin on Sunday, President Putin admitted there was a "certain lack of fuel" after repeated Ukrainian attacks.
Ukraine reportedly launched an attack on a Russian oil refinery facility last weekend.
Kyiv called the attack a just retaliation for the attacks that Russia has carried out almost daily against Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure since the February 2022 attack.
"Regarding attacks on critical infrastructure in general, and energy infrastructure in particular, of course attacks on our infrastructure facilities cause problems, that's clear," said President Putin, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (29/6).
"Currently we are observing certain deficiencies, but not critical," he said.
The main task now, he said, is to increase the capacity of Russian anti-aircraft defenses and ensure fuel supplies, especially to Crimea.
As previously reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said Ukraine attacked two Russian oil refineries in Krasnodar and Yaroslavl regions on Saturday night, as Kyiv increased pressure on Russia's fuel supplies with its drone fleet, Al Arabiya reported from Reuters.
Kyiv's increasingly frequent drone attacks have caused acute fuel shortages in parts of Russia, one of the world's largest oil producers, with queues and rationing seen at gas stations.
"We continue our operations that weaken Russia's ability to wage this war," President Zelensky wrote on social media, adding that the refineries are about 300 km and 700 km (190 miles and 430 miles) from Ukrainian territory.
Separately, the governor of the Krasnodar region, Veniamin Kondratiev, said in a statement on Telegram on Sunday that a fire had occurred at a refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, with one person killed and another injured in a nearby village.
It is known that the Slavyansk refinery is a private factory with a capacity of around 100,000 barrels per day. This refinery supplies fuel for domestic and export use.
In the Yaroslavl region, east of Moscow, the local governor said the region had been the target of drone attacks and temporary restrictions had been imposed on movement on several road routes to the Russian capital.
Last week, authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea on Friday declared a "state of emergency" over fuel shortages and power outages triggered by Ukraine's attacks on its logistics chains and oil facilities.
Hours earlier, in a speech at the congress of the Russian United Party, President Putin promised to ensure security and overcome challenges as Ukraine stepped up counterattacks inside Russia.
"Yes, we see the problem, we are aware of it and responding to it, but we will definitely ensure the security of our country and citizens, as well as the integrity of the Russian borders," President Putin told party members.
"We will definitely overcome all the challenges we are facing today, including terrorist attacks in our territory and infrastructure facilities," he said.
The speech came hours after a Ukrainian drone attack killed one person in Russia's southern Krasnodar region and sparked a fire at an oil refinery, according to regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
Last week, another Ukrainian attack caused a massive fire at a refinery southeast of Moscow, blanketing the outskirts of the capital with a thick plume of black smoke.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
