Oil Refineries and Ports Emerge as Main Targets for Interceptor Drones, Expert Says

Oil refineries and ports have become the primary targets requiring protection from interceptor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to an expert cited by Russian state news agency TASS.

Mikhail Filippov said Ukrainian armed forces have also targeted facilities that are not included on official lists of critical infrastructure, a pattern he said has forced the owners of those facilities to bear additional costs to protect them.

The comments point to an expanding scope of drone strikes affecting Russian energy and port infrastructure amid the ongoing war, with facilities beyond traditionally designated strategic sites reportedly coming under threat.

Interceptor UAVs are used to detect and neutralize incoming drones before they reach their targets, and their deployment around energy and transport infrastructure reflects efforts to mitigate the financial and operational damage caused by such attacks.

Further details on the specific facilities affected or the scale of the additional protection costs involved were not immediately available.