Russian oil refining down 17% after Ukrainian strikes - NATO official

A senior NATO official told reporters on Tuesday during the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Ukrainian strikes are reaching deeper into Russia and affecting the Russian economy, in particular... Russian energy exports," the source said.

According to him, this impact is so strong that Russia has introduced internal restrictions on petrol exports and other measures. He noted that the volume of oil refining at Russian refineries has decreased by about 17%. 

According to the official, Ukraine will continue to carry out targeted strikes against facilities on Russian territory.

He also expressed the opinion that "today we are at the stage when Ukraine is about to start regaining the lost territory". At the same time, it will "take some time to launch a significant offensive", the source added.

As reported, the NATO summit is taking place in Washington on 9-11 July, with the Ukrainian delegation headed by President Volodymyr Zelensky attending.