Russian Drones Target Kyiv Gas Stations09/11 06:16

   

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian drones targeted roadside gas stations in Kyiv 
for a second straight day Friday, as Moscow broadened its air war in what 
Ukrainian officials say is an effort to rattle civilians.

   Russian strikes on urban gas stations have intensified in recent months, 
mostly in regions near the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine. It is 
part of a campaign to disrupt civilian life and weaken morale that has also 
included attacks on food distribution hubs, sporadically leaving some 
supermarket shelves bare in the Ukrainian capital.

   Ukraine is urgently trying to improve its air defenses as Russia's invasion 
stretches into its fifth year, and on Thursday won pledges of more support from 
Canada.

   Ukraine, meanwhile, has extended its own long-range drone campaign deep into 
Russia, straining air defenses across its bigger neighbor's vast territory. On 
Thursday, its military reported hitting a refinery more than 3,000 kilometers 
(1,800 miles) away in Siberia as Kyiv tries to hurt Russia's vital oil sector. 
Its strikes have caused fuel shortages in Russia, one of the world's biggest 
energy producers.

   Russia's oil product exports hit record lows in August, and Moscow is 
importing fuel from South Korea and India, the Center for Research on Energy 
and Clean Air said in a report.

   "Ukrainian strikes on Russia's refining capacity have turned tables on the 
world's once largest oil product exporter to see them start importing fuels, 
with imports surging to a record 172,000 metric tons (189,600 tons) in August 
-- more than seven times the previous monthly high," the Finland-registered 
nonprofit said Thursday.

   Ukraine warns people against lingering near gas stations

   Drones hit two gas stations in 10 minutes in Kyiv's Dniprovskyi and 
Obolonskyi districts Friday. Five people, including a rescuer, were wounded, 
the State Emergency Service said.

   Ukrainian officials and analysts have warned for months that Russia would 
extend gas station strikes to the capital as part of its campaign to intimidate 
civilians.

   "Russia is systematically attacking places where it knows people will be 
spending their time going about their daily lives, seeking to maximize 
casualties, spread fear, and put pressure on Ukrainian society," Foreign 
Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X late Thursday.

   Authorities have urged residents not to linger near gas stations and other 
exposed infrastructure during air raid alerts.

   Russian shopping mall strikes kill 5 in central Ukraine

   Pavlohrad, a city in central Ukraine, observed an official day of mourning 
Friday for five residents killed near shopping malls in broad daylight by 
Russian drones the previous day.

   The attack also wounded 67 people, Sybiha said on X.

   In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a 32-year-old woman and her 
10-year-old son were wounded in an overnight Russian drone attack, Ukraine's 
State Emergency Service said. The drones struck a nine-story apartment block 
and a shopping mall, it said.

   Efforts to put out the blazes were slowed by the constant threat of repeat 
strikes, forcing firefighters to stop working and take shelter, it added.

   Russia says it stopped 777 Ukrainian drones

   Ukraine launched a major barrage overnight from Thursday to Friday, with the 
Russian Defense Ministry saying air defenses intercepted 777 Ukrainian drones 
over 16 Russian regions, as well as occupied Crimea and the waters of the Azov 
and the Caspian seas.

   Two people were killed and three others wounded overnight in a Ukrainian 
drone attack on the Tula region south of Moscow, local officials said Friday.

   A Ukrainian drone strike during the night started a fire at the Saratov oil 
refinery in southwestern Russia, Russian independent online outlet Astra said 
Friday.

   Kyiv has repeatedly targeted that refinery, which was last hit in early 
August.