Frontline report: Ukraine destroys one of Russia’s largest oil refinery plants

Day 462: War Updates from Ukraine and Russia Today, a considerable amount of news once again comes from the Russian Federation. The day began with a successful drone strike on a significant Russian oil refinery plant located in the Krasnodar Krai. This plant, one of the largest in Russia, processes over six million metric tons of oil annually. Russian sources reported a precise hit on the oil distillation facility, which is the most critical part of the entire plant. This resulted in an intense fire that firefighters battled throughout the night. Simultaneously, a second swarm of drones targeted another oil refinery plant slightly to the west. Although one Ukrainian drone managed to evade the air defense, it failed to detonate due to a malfunction. However, the Ukrainians had conducted a successful strike three days prior, damaging one of the oil distillation facilities. There have been over ten strikes on oil-related facilities in Krasnodar Krai. Even though the Russians have managed to protect their facilities half the time, today, Ukrainians successfully destroyed the fifth facility in the Oblast. But, this is only the beginning.

The Ukrainians have released the results of another Storm Shadow missile strike that occurred a few days ago. The base in Yurkivka, located between Berdiansk and Mariupol, was targeted. Petro Andriushchenko, Mariupol's Mayoral Advisor, reported that Russian forces had set up the base at a former kids' camp resort. The Ukrainian strike on the Russian concentration area resulted in the death of 100 Russian personnel and injuries to at least 40 others.

Locals also reported hearing explosions in Mariupol, Berdiansk, and Melitopol and posted footage of air defense rocket contrails. Berdiansk's city council confirmed at least five Storm Shadow missiles directly hit Russian targets. In Melitopol, explosions near the airfield led to a fire at the Russian base. The Ukrainians also continued destroying Russian forces with HIMARS strikes. Ivan Fedorov, the Mayor of Melitopol, reported that Ukrainian forces targeted Mykhailivka on May 29 and 30. Vladimir Rogov, Zaporizhzhia Oblast's occupation official, confirmed the strikes and also mentioned that roads and bridges, particularly those connecting Vasylivka and Dniprorudne, were targeted. Russian sources claimed that a HIMARS strike on Almazna in the Luhansk Oblast was conducted by the Ukrainians. Donetsk Oblast locals reported strikes on Russian bases on the outskirts of Horlivka, with footage confirming the claims through visible plumes of smoke above the city.

The Russian forces continue to shift their troops across Ukraine, creating more opportunities for the Ukrainians to destroy areas of force concentration. Currently, Motorized Rifle and Airborne units from the Svatove direction are being moved to the northern Bakhmut’s flank. Additionally, DNR forces are being relocated from Avdiivka and Vuhledar to the southern Bakhmut’s flank. Meanwhile, Wagner forces are moving closer to Luhansk. Today, the Head of the Chechen Republic announced that Akhmat forces are also being deployed to Donbas. There's been a noticeable increase in the presence of Chechen forces around Bilohorivka, Marinka, and Kherson. Ukrainians persist in degrading Russian forces, capitalizing on the ongoing changes in the composition of troops behind the front lines. Targets of strikes are increasingly closer to the contact line, signaling a shift in battle tactics. Complaints from the Russian side about the destruction of critical logistics infrastructure, such as bridges in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, echo the lead-up to the Kherson counteroffensive operation and hint at the approach of the next one. In our daily frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what’s happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.