Ukraine bombs an oil depot near a Russian air base, according to the Ukrainian military

Ukraine attacked an oil depot near an important military airport in southern Russia on Wednesday, the Ukrainian military said, the latest blow in a campaign to inflict pain deep into the country even as Ukrainian forces lose ground on the battlefield.

The army said it struck the Crystal oil storage facility in Engels 300 miles from the border Between the two countries. She said the depot was supplying fuel to Ingalls Airport, which she said was an airport Starting ground Russia has long supported Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine, which hosts some of Russia’s nuclear-capable long-range bombers.

A Russian official wrote on the messaging app Telegram that there had been a “massive” drone attack Engels targeted. Roman Busargin, governor of the Saratov region, said that air defenses intercepted the drones, but that Falling debris It hit an “industrial facility” and started a fire. No one was hurt, Mr. Bussargin wrote.

Kyiv has Targeted repeatedly Al Qaeda, in an attempt to limit strikes on Ukraine’s energy system, which The cities were plunged into darknessWhich led to the destruction of the Ukrainian grid and forced officials to search for alternative energy options.

The latest attack came as Ukrainian forces press what appears to be a renewed offensive in the Kursk region in western Russia. Both sides have reported heavy fighting over the past few days in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces seized about 500 square miles of territory in a surprise cross-border incursion last summer.

Russia has since regained nearly half of the territory it lost. Analysts said the renewed attack appears to be Ukraine’s attempt to regain momentum and project power before the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump.

Mr. Trump has pledged to end the war quickly, without explaining how. This raised concerns that his administration might cut military aid to Ukraine. It was the Biden administration Rush to get additional help To Kyiv before Trump is sworn in on January 20.

On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III to Germany for a meeting on Thursday with A Allied alliance It met to discuss Ukraine’s security needs after a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. This will be Mr. Austin’s 25th — and final — meeting with the group of about 50 countries.

The meeting will focus on the need to ensure the continued delivery of basic capabilities, including air defense systems, artillery munitions and armored vehicles. According to the Pentagon.

When asked by reporters on Wednesday whether there was concern about the future of the alliance once Mr. Trump takes office, Pentagon officials responded He said They were confident that European allies would continue to act – regardless of whether the new US administration would reduce their support.

While the scale of the new Kursk offensive remains unclear, military analysts have suggested it may also be an attempt to force Russia to shift its forces away from the front lines in eastern Ukraine, where it has been steadily pressing Kiev’s defenses to seize new territory. .

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday that its forces He captured Kurakhova strategic city in eastern Ukraine, after months of intense fighting.