▲ Russian President Vladimir Putin
Ukraine is pressuring the administration of Vladimir Putin ahead of the general election by targeting civilian distribution networks and launching attacks on deep rear Russian cities more than 1,000 kilometers away from the border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media on the 10th (local time) that "operations targeting Russian oil refineries are continuing, and Russia is feeling the impact."
He also expressed gratitude to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
While the SBU's main mission in the past was counterintelligence work to root out Russian spies, it has recently been leading attacks on the Russian rear using long-range drones.
President Zelenskyy's mention of the SBU's operation on this day appears to refer to the attack targeting Nizhnekamsk.
According to local Russian authorities, Nizhnekamsk in the Republic of Tatarstan was struck by Ukrainian drone attacks overnight, leaving 13 people dead, including children, and 75 others injured.
According to local residents, a 5-year-old girl who was sleeping on an apartment balcony was also killed by the shock wave when a drone crashed into a nearby tree and exploded, TASS news agency reported.
In particular, a hostel building in Nizhnekamsk was hit, with 9 of the total fatalities concentrated there.
Among the victims in this region, 7 were confirmed to be Uzbek nationals and 1 was a Tajik national.
Nizhnekamsk is a central Russian city located approximately 1,200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
It is known as an energy hub densely packed with two oil refineries and a petrochemical plant.
While Ukraine has previously launched multiple attacks on Russian energy facilities more than 1,000 kilometers from the border, experts note that it is unusual for such attacks to result in mass casualties.
On the same day, a drone strike in Belgorod, Russia, near the Ukrainian border, also killed 1 person and injured 2 others.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova defined the airstrikes as terrorist crimes in a statement, condemning that "the Kyiv regime is committing atrocities against Russian civilians on a daily basis."
Ukraine has been intensifying its offensive against targets outside the front lines ahead of Russia's general election scheduled for next month.
A representative example is Wildberries, the massive Russian e-commerce giant that has been a focal point of intense strikes since launching the "40-day operation" in late June.
This is interpreted as a strategy to shake the Putin regime by increasing civilians' awareness and experience of the war.
As Russia retaliates against Ukraine, civilian casualties in Ukraine are mounting almost every day.
Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was attacked by Russia overnight, resulting in the deaths of 5 civilians.
At least 5 people were also injured in the northern Sumy region.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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