Ukraine has launched long-range drone strikes on two Russian oil refineries, with President Volodymyr Zelensky confirming that the operations targeted strategic energy infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.
According to Zelensky, the attacks hit oil refining facilities in Bashkortostan and Yaroslavl, as Kyiv continues its campaign against Russia’s fuel and logistics network.
Videos circulating online showed a large plume of black smoke rising above the refinery area in Yaroslavl following the attack.
Russian authorities described the assault as one of the most significant drone attacks on the country since the war began.
The governor of the Yaroslavl region claimed it was the largest drone attack ever recorded in the area, saying Russian air defence systems intercepted dozens of incoming drones. However, falling debris reportedly damaged oil storage tanks at the targeted facility.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces destroyed 605 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions during the latest wave of attacks, including several intercepted over Yaroslavl.
The latest operation forms part of Ukraine’s expanding strategy of targeting Russian military and energy infrastructure far from the frontline, with recent attacks focusing on oil refineries, fuel depots, warehouses and logistics hubs.
Meanwhile, Russian drone strikes continued to inflict casualties inside Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials said at least six people were killed in separate attacks, including three victims in a residential neighbourhood, two at a railway station and one aboard a cargo vessel transporting wheat near the Black Sea port of Odesa.
The exchange of long-range drone attacks underscores the continuing escalation of the conflict, with both countries increasingly targeting strategic infrastructure beyond the battlefield.
