Explosions rolled across two Russian regions overnight on July 13. Ukraine hit an oil depot in Stavropol Krai, in the south, while air defenses were working over Moscow Oblast, according to monitoring channels cited by the Kyiv Independent.
The Telegram channel Exilenova Plus said the Mikhailovskaya depot, in the village of Mikhailovsk, was set ablaze. Astra, an independent Russian outlet, heard something different from local residents: the strikes landed at a depot in nearby Vyazniki. Governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed only that a fire had started in an “industrial area” in Vyazniki.
Both villages are suburbs of Stavropol. They sit about 365 kilometers (225 miles) from Ukraine, close to the occupied city of Mariupol, and roughly 620 kilometers (385 miles) from Ukrainian-held ground in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The Kyiv Independent said it could not immediately verify the details.
Casualties near Moscow
Later that night, Exilenova Plus reported blasts in Solnechnogorsk, in Moscow Oblast. Governor Andrey Vorobyov said a residential building was hit there and two people were hurt. He also described worse news from the village of Pionersky.
“Unfortunately, there are casualties and injuries. In the village of Pionersky, three people were killed, and three others were injured as a result of a drone crash. A fire broke out in five homes,” Vorobyov said.
He put the number of drones shot down over the region at 81.
A run of strikes
This was not the first hit on Vyazniki that week. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) had reported on July 9 that a large fire at the Stavropolskaya oil depot there was still spreading. Its strike drones also set fire to the Krasnaya Zvezda facility in Tver Oblast, the SBU said.
At sea, the campaign moved faster. Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said drones struck 21 Russian tankers and seven other vessels in the Sea of Azov overnight on July 11. “The shadow tanker fleet is noticeably shrinking,” he wrote. “It appears traffic through the Kerch Strait has been stopped.”
The next day, July 12, Brovdi said 14 more Russian vessels were destroyed. Kyiv says it is working to eliminate the shadow fleet in order to choke off funding for Russia’s war.
Ukraine regularly targets military infrastructure deep inside Russia and in occupied territories, aiming to reduce Moscow’s ability to keep fighting.
Sources
- Ukraine reportedly strikes Russian oil depot in Stavropol Krai, explosions reported in Moscow Oblast
