Omsk Residents Describe ‘Huge Shock’ At Surprise Ukrainian Attack

(RFE/RL’s Russian Service and Current Time) For more than four years, the inhabitants of Omsk, a Siberian city more than 2,250 kilometers east of Moscow, have watched the war against Ukraine from afar. This week they got a close-up view that has left many in shock. Omsk was the target of Ukrainian air strikes on July 6, the first time the city has been targeted since President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022. The attack on an Omsk oil refinery, the largest in Russia, was the furthest strike from the Ukrainian front line — in a city which local media had repeatedly stated was safe from attack. The first explosions were heard at 3:15 p.m. local time on July 6, on two streets where the refinery’s main processing facilities are located. – Omsk Residents Describe ‘Huge Shock’ At Surprise Ukrainian Attack