One Of Russia's Largest Fuel Facilities Spews 'Black Rain' Over Ryazan After Deadly Ukrainian Drone Strike

An early Friday drone strike triggered a major fire at the Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of Russia's largest fuel production facilities, according to local residents and Russian monitoring channels.

Residents reported multiple loud explosions after drones were seen flying over the city, with videos circulating online showing flames and thick smoke rising from the refinery.

"An ASTRA OSINT analyst has determined that in addition to two high-rise buildings, an oil refinery in the city was damaged. Photos taken by witnesses were taken near the Olympic Town microdistrict, approximately 4 km from the Ryazan Oil Refinery," one independent Russian outlet wrote.

Two high-rise buildings in Ryazan were also struck, resulting in significant casualties:

A Ukrainian drone barrage killed at least four people and ignited a huge fire at an oil refinery in the city of Ryazan on Friday, in what appeared to be a direct retaliation for a deadly Russian strike on Kyiv a day earlier.

Ryazan region Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed the deaths in posts on Telegram, adding that dozens of people, including children, were wounded in the attack. He said drones struck two apartment buildings and an industrial site, which he did not identify by name.

There were also reports that "black rain" fell from the sky after the refinery was struck, which adds additional confirmation to serious damage at the fuel facility amid the ongoing emergency response:

The strike sparked a fire at the Ryazan oil refinery, leading to what some locals described as an "oil rain." Residents complained online of sticky black spots on their cars, windows, and building facades.

Ukrainian sources have alleged that both the Ryazan refinery and Gazprom's Astrakhan gas plant are considered critical components of Moscow's war infrastructure.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/one-russias-largest-fuel-facilities-spews-black-rain-over-ryazan-after-deadly

Persian Gulf Countries 'Refused' UAE Call For Joint Attack On Iran

The UAE tried but failed to persuade neighboring states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to take part in a coordinated military attack on Iran, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed (MbZ) spoke by phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) and other regional leaders to propose the coordinated attacks, shortly after the US and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28, the sources said.

During the calls, MbZ argued that the states that formed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) must act as a bloc to attack Iran alongside the US and Israel. However, his fellow Gulf leaders told him it was "not their war," according to the report.

When Saudi Crown Prince MbS refused to go along with the scheme, already shaky ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia were further strained. The Saudi refusal also contributed to the Emirates' decision to leave OPEC and OPEC+, the oil-producing cartel, and deepen its existing ties to Israel.

The UAE ultimately carried out several strikes against Iran without support from other Gulf states in early March and in April. Iran targeted US bases and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia with drones in the first days of the war. Yet the kingdom focused its efforts on promoting Pakistani-mediated negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Qatar considered joining the UAE in an attack after Iranian missile strikes hit Doha's Ras Laffan Industrial City, the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, causing extensive damage and major fires, a Gulf official said. However, Doha also ultimately chose to de-escalate and throw its support behind negotiations.

Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman joined Saudi Arabia and Qatar in rejecting the UAE plan. One source said US officials were aware of the UAE effort and that Washington pushed Saudi Arabia and Qatar to join a coordinated military response.

On Thursday, the Financial Times (FT) reported that Saudi Arabia had "floated" the possibility of reaching a "non-aggression pact" between Iran and neighboring states modeled on the 1975 Helsinki Accords, which eased tensions during the Cold War in Europe.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/persian-gulf-countries-refused-uae-call-joint-attack-iran