Ukrainian drones strike Europe's largest fuel depot in Russia's Samara region

Ukrainian drones struck a major fuel depot in Russia's Samara region on Friday, targeting Europe's largest oil storage facility owned by state consortium Transneft, according to Telegram channels. Witnesses reported overnight explosions at the Transneft storage site, which holds over 1.6 million cubic meters of oil across more than 200 hectares, receiving crude from four pipelines originating in Siberia, Tatarstan, Orenburg, and Kazakhstan. Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed drone attacks on Samara, while local authorities closed the regional airport. Separately, Volgograd region governor Andrei Bocharov reported a "massive attack on industrial infrastructure," including a refinery and the Kaustik chemical plant where fires broke out. President Vladimir Putin, who recently banned media from publishing refinery export and processing data, admitted Thursday these attacks cost Russia about 1% of its GDP. Russian air defenses reportedly shot down 646 fixed-wing drones overnight across thirteen regions, Crimea, and the Black and Azov Seas.