Ukraine Drones Strike Last Untouched Russian Refinery 930 Miles Inside Russian Territory, Reaching Bashkortostan

Ukraine Drones Strike Last Untouched Russian Refinery 930 Miles Deep into Russian Territory

Ukraine said on Tuesday that its armed forces continued strikes against Russian oil and gas refining facilities, setting two major Russian refineries ablaze in a single night. The same operation also targeted five 'shadow fleet' tankers, five cargo vessels, a tugboat, and an oil transshipment area in the Black Sea region. Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the strikes in an official statement.

Russia's Ministry of Defense reported that its air defense systems intercepted 288 Ukrainian drones across the country. Russian authorities said debris from downed drones injured one person and damaged homes in several villages.

The intensified campaign against Russian energy infrastructure is part of President Volodymyr Zelensky's declared "40-day pressure campaign" aimed at forcing Moscow to end the war. Russia retaliated with strikes against an oil refinery in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa.

Ukrainian forces also struck a Russian ammunition depot in occupied Donetsk and a logistics hub in occupied Luhansk.

Tit-for-Tat Refinery Strikes

Robert Brovdi (callsign "Magyar"), commander of Ukraine's drone forces in Kyiv, confirmed in a statement that Ukrainian armed forces struck two major oil refineries and 11 vessels in the Azov Sea region overnight Monday.

One of the drone strikes targeted the Gazpromneftekhim Salavat LLC facility in Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan — one of Russia's largest refineries — located approximately 930 miles (1,500 km) from the Ukrainian border.

Bashkortostan Governor Radiy Khabirov confirmed that the region had been attacked and stated there were no casualties. Independent outlet Astra News published photos on Telegram showing thick black smoke billowing above the refinery.

The Salavat plant is reported to have been the only major Russian gas refinery not yet struck by Ukraine in 2026, though it was previously hit in 2025.

Ukrainian drones also targeted the Afipsky Oil Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai — one of the largest refineries in southern Russia.

Russia's operational command headquarters reported: "A fire broke out at the Afipsky Oil Refinery. Roofs, facades, windows, and fences of several private homes were damaged. Drone debris fell within two facilities, causing a fire at one of them."

The Afipsky refinery has an annual processing capacity of 6.25 million tonnes of crude oil and gas condensate, supplied via pipeline and rail from Western Siberia and the Volga-Ural region. It produces gasoline, diesel, vacuum gas oil, fuel oil, sulfur, and other petroleum products for the Russian military.

Bloomberg reported that Russian forces launched precision strikes and drone attacks on fuel and port infrastructure in the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa, hitting military cargo storage facilities, transshipment hubs, and logistics centers. Local officials said the strikes caused fires and wounded several civilians.

Azov Sea 'Shadow Fleet' Targeted

Ukraine also pressed attacks against Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," seeking to restrict Moscow's ability to supply fuel to illegally occupied Crimea.

Ukraine claims to have struck 116 Russian vessels in Azov Sea operations over the past nine days. Last Saturday, Ukraine said it hit 21 Russian tankers in a single strike in the Azov Sea — one of the largest drone attacks against Russian shipping since the start of the war.

The sustained campaign against tankers and bulk carriers has forced Russia to reroute grain shipments from the Azov Sea following the latest strike on 11 vessels in a single night. Russia's Ministry of Agriculture said Tuesday it was preparing to use "alternative shipping routes" and may divert cargo to "other modes of transport."

Sources told Reuters on Monday that commercial vessels can no longer access the Azov Sea via the Kerch Strait or the Azov-Don Canal connecting the Azov Sea to the Don River.

Lavrov: Ukraine Is Committing Acts of Terrorism

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of committing "acts of terrorism."

"What the Ukrainian regime is doing goes beyond even piracy. Pirates at least plunder and keep their loot. But here [Ukraine's attacks] do no good to themselves or anyone else — the only purpose is destruction and intimidation. This is terrorism, pure and simple," Lavrov said.

An unnamed Ukrainian military source told Reuters: "The Ukrainian Armed Forces only strike military targets or those that enhance Russia's combat capabilities. Civilian cargo is not among them. Russia's talk of attacking civilian vessels is an attempt to find justification for its ruthless strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure."

Ukraine's sustained strikes on Russian refineries have triggered a domestic fuel shortage crisis, forcing Moscow to ban certain fuel exports amid surging global energy prices and compelling it to import oil and gas from India and Belarus. Russia is now planning to import up to 400,000 tonnes of gasoline per month, including seaborne imports from India and rail shipments from Belarus.

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