Atesh says agent destroyed communications tower before Ukrainian strike on Perm refinery

The tower provided a backup communications channel for exchanging operational information between the refinery’s security personnel and military units assigned to protect the facility, Atesh said.

The sabotage was carried out by a Russian servicemember who had left his unit without authorization and later established contact with the partisan movement, the group said.

Atesh said the servicemember joined resistance activities because he opposed the policies of Russia’s leadership and had encountered abuses during his military service.

The loss of the communications tower disrupted data transmission and deprived security personnel of stable coordination, according to the group.

The refinery complex was struck by drones shortly afterward, Atesh said.

Perm facilities repeatedly targeted

A fire broke out at the Proton-PM plant in Perm on Sept. 2. The facility manufactures rocket engines.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Aug. 21 that Ukrainian forces had struck an oil refinery in Perm, as well as the Marinovka military airfield and other Russian military targets.

The Perm refinery is located more than 1,600 kilometers (about 994 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Ukrainian forces also struck the Marinovka military airfield in Volgograd Oblast and targets in the Black Sea, Zelenskyy said.

Drones attacked Russia’s Perm Krai overnight on Aug. 21, with a column of smoke reported above the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery.

Temporary restrictions were introduced at Perm’s Bolshoye Savino Airport, while local residents reported hearing explosions.