Ukraine has carried out long-range attacks against major oil-processing facilities deep inside Russian territory, as Kyiv intensifies efforts to disrupt the energy revenues and fuel supplies supporting Moscow’s war effort.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes targeted the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Russia’s Bashkortostan region and the Slavneft-Yanos refinery in Yaroslavl. Bashkortostan lies more than 1,300 kilometres from the Ukrainian front, while Yaroslavl is located around 250 kilometres northeast of Moscow.
Russian authorities reported that falling drone debris caused a fire in an industrial area of Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan and one of Russia’s most important oil-refining centres. Officials did not initially identify the facility affected or provide a detailed assessment of the damage.
Kyiv also reported attacks against Russian military patrol boats in the Black Sea and vessels associated with Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet.” Ukraine and its Western partners use the term to describe tankers accused of transporting Russian oil while bypassing sanctions and restrictions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine.
The operations form part of Ukraine’s broader campaign against Russian refineries, storage facilities, ports and oil tankers. Kyiv argues that these targets contribute directly to financing and supplying Russia’s military operations.
The latest strikes demonstrate the expanding range of Ukraine’s domestically produced drones, which have increasingly reached industrial and energy sites hundreds—and sometimes thousands—of kilometres from Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Russia has not released a comprehensive account of the damage caused by the latest attacks. Independent verification of all Ukrainian claims was not immediately available.
