Photos of the aftermath of the latest strike on a gas station belonging to the Ukrnafta network have emerged in Kyiv. According to RBC-Ukraine, this is already the sixth shelling of the company's facilities in recent weeks. The images show the destroyed structures of the gas station; rescue workers and police promptly arrived at the scene. The company's management stated that it will continue operations and restore the damaged facilities to ensure the city's fuel supply.

Statements from Ukrnafta management

"Another strike on UKRNAFTA's civilian infrastructure. This is already the sixth in recent weeks," wrote Bohdan Kukura, Chairman of the Board of JSC "Ukrnafta." According to him, the staff were in shelter at the time of the attack, so no one was injured at the specific facility he reported on. Kukura emphasized that the extent of the damage will be assessed after the rescue services finish their work, and the company intends to restore the damaged facilities. Meanwhile, Serhiy Fedorenko, Chief Commercial Officer of the Naftogaz Group, commented on the situation, confirming the fact of the attack on the network's infrastructure.

What happened on the morning of September 23

On the morning of September 23, Russian drones attacked two gas stations in different districts of Kyiv. In the Holosiivskyi district, a drone hit the gas station directly, causing the serious destruction captured in the photos. In the Darnytskyi district, the strike hit another gas station of the network: the roof of the facility caught fire, and one person was injured. Thus, within a single morning wave of the attack, two gas stations in opposite parts of the city were affected.

Context: massive overnight attack

The strikes on the gas stations were part of a broader attack: overnight from September 22 to 23, Russia launched a massive strike on Ukraine from six directions at once. According to available data, the enemy used 161 strike drones of various types, including jet-powered "Shaheds" and "Herbers," as well as "Bandier" and "Danh-T" cruise missiles. Under such conditions, attacks on fuel infrastructure are seen as an attempt to simultaneously damage logistics and exert psychological pressure on the civilian population.

Contradictory data

The statements from the parties and the publications contain discrepancies in the assessment of human casualties. On the one hand, Bohdan Kukura, Chairman of the Board of Ukrnafta, stated that no one was injured in the strike on his facility, as the staff were in shelter. On the other hand, in the same morning incident in the Darnytskyi district, reportedly one person was injured, and some foreign media outlets in their headlines about the overnight attack on Kyiv mention fatalities at all. In other words, the version of there being no casualties at all is valid only for the specific facility in the Holosiivskyi district, whereas across the city as a whole, the injured and, according to some reports, the dead are recorded. Until the rescue services finish their work and an official verification of the data is complete, the exact picture of the casualties cannot be confirmed.

Restoration and network operations

Despite the repeated shellings, Ukrnafta states its intention to maintain the network's operations and restore the damaged gas stations. The company emphasizes that the priority is to ensure Kyiv and the region with fuel amid ongoing attacks on fuel infrastructure. The final assessment of the damage and the timelines for restoring the facilities will be announced after the emergency services finish their work on site.