A prayer service for protection against drones was held in Perm following attacks on an oil refinery
On May 19 in Perm, Russia, clergymen of the Russian Orthodox Church organized a prayer service and a procession through the city carrying an icon of the Virgin Mary, which, according to them, was intended to protect the region from drones.
According to Russian media reports, the event took place following attacks on local oil refineries and oil pumping stations. The diocese stated that such measures were related to recent air raid alerts and concerns about new strikes.
Priests of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) drove around Perm with an icon of the Virgin Mary to protect the city from drones after the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked a local oil pumping station and an oil refinery. The diocese reported that a motorcade “procession” around Perm, with stops at “key points” for prayer, took place on May 12.
The service was led by Metropolitan Methodius. “Recently, drone attacks have been reported several times in our city, and to rid ourselves of this scourge, the head of the Perm Metropolis held a prayer service,” the diocese explained.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces first attacked Perm, located more than 1,500 km from the border with Ukraine, on April 29. The strike hit the Perm Linear Production and Dispatch Station (LPDS), which is part of the Transneft system and is used for pumping, storing, and distributing oil via main pipelines.
A fire engulfed a complex of 10 storage tanks with a total capacity of 380,000 cubic meters, and an “oil rain” fell on the city. On April 30, the Permnaftorgsintez oil refinery, owned by Lukoil and with a capacity of 17 million tons per year—the seventh-largest in Russia by processing volume—was attacked. Following this, the facility was partially shut down, and a new strike on May 7 led to its complete shutdown.
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Attacks on oil refineries have costRussia over $7 billion since the start of the year — WP.
As a reminder, the day before, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the Tuapse oil refinery for the fourth time in the last two weeks. A massive fire broke out on the plant’s grounds following a series of explosions.
As a reminder, drones attacked Tuapse again, causing fires at the oil refinery and in the port.
In Tuapse, refinery capacity has decreased following the latest attack.
