Petrol stations in Kyiv have been struck by jet-powered drones in what is described as a new phase of intense Russian bombardment on Ukraine's capital. City mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that at least two people were killed and six injured in strikes on two petrol stations on Friday morning.
These rush-hour attacks follow a similar incident on a petrol station on Thursday, which was the first of its kind in Kyiv. All three targeted facilities are operated by Ukrnafta, a state-owned oil and natural gas extraction company.
Sergiy Fedorenko, acting head of Naftogaz, Ukrnafta's parent company, stated there could be no military objective behind such attacks, calling them "terror directed at the civilian population." A list of 18 Kyiv petrol stations expected to be hit by Russian drones had circulated on Telegram on Wednesday, with the three struck so far appearing on this list.
Russia has increased its attacks on Ukrainian petrol stations in recent months, previously targeting facilities in the east and south of the country. Kyiv has experienced daily drone and missile strikes since late August.