In the early hours of April 20, 2024, Ukraine launched a series of drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and fuel depots in multiple regions. According to various sources, at least three power substations and a fuel storage facility were damaged in the attacks. The Ukrainian special services claimed that the energy infrastructure feeding Russian military-industrial facilities was the target. These strikes came as Ukraine pins its hopes on a crucial vote taking place in the US House of Representatives, which could unlock nearly $61 billion of military aid for Ukraine.
The first reported incident occurred in Smolensk region, Russia, where a fuel depot was hit by a downed Ukrainian drone. The explosion caused by the drone killed two people. In another incident in Zaporizhzhia region, a Russian journalist was killed by Ukrainian drones.
Russian Defense Ministry reported that dozens of Ukrainian drones were launched overnight and intercepted some of them hundreds of kilometers from the border, near the capital Moscow. A large blaze was burning at a fuel depot in Russia's western Smolensk region, according to Governor Vasily Anokhin.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, Ukrainian strikes on civilians left three people dead - a pregnant woman and her unborn child in Vovchansk and two others. Prosecutors from the local Kharkiv region reported these deaths. The Russian attack killed a man in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region.
These attacks mark an escalation of tensions between Ukraine and Russia, which have been at odds since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It is important to note that all parties involved should exercise restraint and avoid targeting civilians or civilian infrastructure.
