WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Ukraine hits Russia's Volgograd oil refinery in latest drone attack, source says
Two Ukrainian attack drones struck the largest oil refinery in southern Russia on Saturday, a source in Kyiv told Reuters, detailing the latest in a series of long-range attacks on Russian oil facilities.
Local authorities in Russia said earlier that a fire had been extinguished at the Volgograd refinery following a drone attack. Oil producer Lukoil, which owns the refinery, later said the plant was working as normal.
The Kyiv source said the operation by the SBU security service struck the primary processing facility, without which the refinery could lose significant production capacity.
Ukrainian officials seldom take responsibility publicly for deep strike attacks on Russian territory.
The Volgograd refinery is the latest in a series of facilities to be targeted by drones. Kyiv sees such infrastructure as important for the Kremlin's war effort.
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The source told Reuters such drone attacks would continue.
"By hitting oil refineries working for the Russian military-industrial complex, we not only cut off the logistics of fuel supplies for enemy equipment, but also reduce funds into the Russian budget," the source said.
The distance between the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv near the Russian border and the southern Russian city of Volgograd is more than 600km.
Russia has been conducting regular long-range missile strikes on targets in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, prompting Kyiv to scramble for ways to close the gap on Moscow's more advanced military technology.
Ukraine has sought to spur innovation in drone technology and to support the production of long-range drones to allow it to strike back.
** Russia says 15 killed in Ukraine attack on bakery in occupied east
Russia's emergencies ministry said its workers had retrieved the bodies of 20 people from the rubble following a Ukrainian attack on a building housing a bakery in the city of Lysychansk in the occupied eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk on Saturday.
The ministry shared video of emergency workers lifting two bloodied people onto stretchers and carrying them in the darkness out of the ruins of a building.
The ministry said previously that its workers rescued 10 people and handed them to doctors.
From the design and color of the building and a sign matching file imagery of the area, Reuters was able to confirm the location of a separate, daytime video the emergencies ministry shared. It matches a location on Google maps identified as Adriatic Restaurant on Moskovska Street, Lysychansk.
However Reuters was unable to independently verify the date of the footage filmed, nor of any other details of the report coming out of an area Russia said it annexed in 2022.
Ukrainian officials have not made any statement on the incident.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said "dozens of civilians" were in the building at the time of the attack and that Western weapons were used.
The Russian-controlled Luhansk Information Centre said Ukraine shelled the bakery using the U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
Russia's state-run TASS news agency quoted a Russian-installed official in operational services as saying the average age of the victims was "35 years, plus or minus five years."
"There are no children among the dead at the moment, but the removal of rubble is still ongoing," it quoted the official as saying.
Earlier, Leonid Pasechnik, put in charge of Ukraine's Luhansk region by Moscow, said dozens of people may be under the rubble.
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
Ukrainian forces lose up to 1,825 servicemen, six tanks in Krasny Liman area
Russia’s battlegroup Center has occupied more advantageous positions in the Krasny Liman area, repelling 19 Ukrainian attacks and wiping out up to 1,825 enemy servicemen over the week, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"In the Krasny Liman area, Russia’s battlegroup Center took more advantageous positions and repelled 19 enemy attacks. It hit the manpower and equipment of the 60th and 63rd mechanized brigades, the 12th special purpose brigade and the 13th Ukrainian National Guard brigade near Kirovsk, Yampolovka in the Donetsk People's Republic, Chervonaya Dibrova, Kuzmino in the Lugansk People's Republic, as well as the Serebryansky forestry," the ministry said, adding that the enemy lost up to 1,825 servicemen, six tanks, 13 armored combat vehicles, 36 vehicles and six field artillery guns.
Also, twenty-six Ukrainian troops have surrendered over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
In addition, the Russian Armed Forces launched 37 group strikes with precision weapons and drones on Ukraine’s decision-making centers and military-industrial complex, as well as arsenals and military airfield infrastructure over the past week, the Defense Ministry said.
"Between January 27 and February 3, the Russian Armed Forces carried out 37 group strikes with precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles against the decision-making centers, facilities of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine’s armed forces, as well as military airfield infrastructure, arsenals and fuel bases. In addition, deployment sites of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ units, nationalist formations and foreign mercenaries were hit. All designated targets were hit," the Defense Ministry said.
Kupyansk area
The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ losses exceeded 750 troops in the Kupyansk area over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"The enemy suffered losses in more than 750 service members, a tank, nine armored combat vehicles, 21 vehicles, as well as eight field artillery guns," the ministry said.
The Russian Armed Forces have pressed ahead with getting their positions better along the frontline in certain sections of the Kupyansk area over the past week, as they have liberated Tabayevka and repelled 41 Ukrainian attacks, the Defense Ministry said.
"In the Kupyansk area, units of Battlegroup West liberated Tabayevka in the Kharkov Region and carried on improving their positions along the frontline in certain sections. Over the past week, Russian troops repelled 41 attacks by assault groups of the 30th, 32nd, 44th, and 60th mechanized brigades, the 57th motorized infantry brigade, the 25th airborne and 95th airborne assault brigades as well as the 103rd territorial defense brigade near Sinkovka and Tabayevka in the Kharkov region, Novoselovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic and Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
Donetsk area
Russia’s battlegroup South repelled 22 Ukrainian attacks in the Donetsk area over the week and improved its positions along the front line, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"In the Donetsk area, Russia’s battlegroup South improved its position on the front line and repelled 22 enemy attacks," the statement said.
The Ukrainian armed forces have suffered losses in more than 2,245 troops, five tanks and 19 armored combat vehicles in the Donetsk area over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"During this period, the Ukrainian armed forces’ losses amounted to over 2,245 service members, five tanks, 19 armored fighting vehicles, 63 vehicles, 28 field artillery pieces and two combat vehicles of the Grad MLRS," the ministry said.
In addition, it was reported that air strikes, artillery fire and the fire with heavy flamethrower systems had inflicted losses on the Ukrainian armed forces and National Guard near Verkhnekamenskoye, Artyomovskoye, Krasnoye, Kleshcheyevka, Kurdyumovka, Andreyevka, Belogorovka, Pereyezdnoye and Georgiyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
South Donetsk area
The Russian Armed Forces’ battlegroup Vostok (East) had repelled nine attacks of the Ukrainian army in the South Donetsk area over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"In South Donetsk area, units of the Vostok Group of Forces repelled nine Ukrainian army’s attacks by cohesive actions," the ministry said.
The weekly losses of the Ukrainian armed forces in the South Donetsk area amounted to up to 735 military personnel and two tanks, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"The Ukrainian armed forces’ losses amounted up to 735 Ukrainian troops, two tanks, six armored fighting vehicles, 17 vehicles, 12 field artillery pieces, and two Grad MLRS combat vehicles," the statement said.
It was also reported that units of Ukraine’s 58th and 72nd mechanized brigades, the 79th air assault brigade, as well as the 127th and 128th territorial defense brigades suffered losses near Novomikhailovka, Konstantinovka, Ugledar, Staromayorskoye, Makarovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, and near Priuytnoye in the Zaporozhye Region.
Zaporozhye area
The Ukrainian armed forces have suffered losses of over 385 military personnel in the Zaporozhye area over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"In the Zaporozhye area, Russian troops repelled an attack by an assault detachment of Ukraine’s 108th territorial defense brigade near Lugovskoye and inflicted losses on Ukrainian armed forces’ manpower and hardware near Rabotino, Nesteryanka, Pyatikhatky, Kamenskoye, Malaya Tokmachka and Orekhov in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.
According to the ministry, the enemy suffered losses in more than 385 troops, one tank, nine armored fighting vehicles, 19 vehicles, 15 field artillery pieces and one Grad MLRS combat vehicle.
Kherson area
Ukraine’s armed forces have suffered losses of up to 290 military personnel and four tanks in the Kherson area over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"In the Kherson area, as a result of Russian forces’ pre-emptive strikes supported by aircraft and artillery, losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of the 35th, 36th and 38th marine brigades, the 121st, 123rd and 124th territorial defense brigades near Nikolayevka, Tyaginka, Ivanovka, Tokarevka, Antonovka and Yantarnoye in the Kherson Region," the ministry said.
According to the ministry, the enemy suffered losses in up to 290 Ukrainian troops, either killed and wounded, four tanks, two armored fighting vehicles, 26 vehicles, 11 motorboats, and 12 field artillery pieces.
Air Force and air defenses
Russian aircraft and air defenses have brought down 20 air-launched guided missiles, 53 MLRS rockets and 423 drones of the Ukrainian armed forces over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"The Air Force and air defense units intercepted 20 air-launched guided missiles, including four HARM anti-radiation missiles, one JDAM air-to-surface guided bomb, 53 projectiles fired from the HIMARS, Uragan, and Olkha MLRS, as well as 423 unmanned aerial vehicles," the statement said.
Tally of destroyed equipment
It was reported that since the launch of the special military operation, 568 airplanes, 265 helicopters, 11,678 unmanned aerial vehicles, 462 air defense missile systems, 14,893 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,215 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 7,952 field artillery pieces and mortars, as well as 18,179 units of special military equipment have been destroyed.
Reuters/Tass
