Ukraine's ATACMS, Drone Strikes Target Russia's Key Southern Oil Hubs

Ukrainian forces used drones to target a key oil hub in Russia's southern Rostov region, and U.S.-made ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) and Storm Shadow missiles to strike a fuel hub in occupied Luhansk, according to reports.

A massive blaze broke out in the city of Azov in Rostov on Sunday after drones crashed into an oil depot, according to the Astra Telegram channel, which is run by independent Russian journalists. The channel shared video footage and images of the fire, showing a huge column of black smoke rising into the sky. No casualties were reported.

In Ukraine's occupied eastern Luhansk region, Kremlin-installed authorities claimed that Ukrainian forces used 12 missiles supplied by the West to target the area. The attack reportedly struck fuel storage warehouses.

The Kremlin-installed head of the self-proclaimed region, Leonid Pasechnik, said air defense systems downed four of the missiles.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 12 Western-made missiles at Luhansk. Presumably, eight ATACMS missiles and four Storm Shadow missiles," Pasechnik wrote on his Telegram channel. "Four missiles were shot down by air defense forces as they approached the city. As a result of the falling missile debris, dry grass caught fire. The strikes hit warehouses where fuel tanks were located and the private sector."

Luhansk's regional governor, Artem Lysohor, said a fire broke out at a factory used to store and repair Russian military equipment due to the "poor work of [Russian] air defenses,"

Newsweek couldn't independently verify if ATACMS or Storm Shadow missiles were used in the Luhansk attack.

Ukrainian intelligence told Ukrainska Pravda that 15 kamikaze drones were used to attack Russia's Rostov fuel depot.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's defense ministry for comment by email.

The attack appears to be part of an ongoing campaign by Ukraine, which kickstarted in January, to target Russia's oil hubs. The Moscow Times reported in late June that at least 40 Russian oil depots and refineries have been attacked by drones since the beginning of the year, including some of the nation's largest.

The attacks are typically claimed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine's Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR).

In March, Olha Stefanishyna, a Ukrainian deputy prime minister said Russian oil refineries were legitimate military targets in the war as they support President Vladimir Putin's war economy.

Reports suggest U.S. officials have asked Ukraine to refrain from targeting oil hubs to prevent possible disruption to the global fuel market. In May, the Pentagon's intelligence agency estimated that at least 14 percent of Russian oil refinery capacity had been disrupted as a result of the recent attacks.

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