Ukraine unleashes deepest drone strikes of war on Russian gas fields - as Zelenskyy vows to wreck Putin's economy
Ukraine has unleashed its deepest-ever drone attack into Russia, targeting Siberian gas fields in the latest escalation of the war between the two nations.
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The barren region's governor, Dmitry Artyukhov, said on Wednesday that Ukraine had embarked on the first such attack on the country's natural gas hinterland.
Artyukhov did not identify the facility involved.
Ukraine's Special Forces said they carried out attacks on two gas condensate facilities in the region — in Novy Urengoy and in Purovsky district. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised the strikes for their effect on the Russian economy.
Artyukhov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said: "Most importantly, there were no fatalities or injuries. The extent and nature of the damage are being determined."
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Russia's energy company Gazprom did not reply to a request for comment about the attack on the region, some 3,000 km (1,800 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The Ukrainian statement gave no details of any damage inflicted on the sites. It described the two plants as "crucial for the gas condensate industry."
"Previously, this was considered an absolutely safe area away from the front for the aggressor," it said.
Zelenskiy said it was "important to respond in an entirely fair manner to the Russian war and in just such a way that the enemy feels it."
Novy Urengoy is Russia's unofficial gas capital, located in the Yamal-Nenets region in northern Western Siberia.
Gazprom used to export gas from Yamal as far as Western Europe until the ties broke down following the start of Russia's war in Ukraine in 2022.
It estimated the region's gas resources at 26.5 trillion cubic metres as of 2020, enough to cover global demand for more than six years.