Ukrainian drones strike Russian oil refineries deep inside enemy territory as energy attacks escalate

Ukraine has launched a series of long-range drone strikes targeting major oil processing facilities deep within Russian territory, hitting the Slavneft-Yanos refinery in Yaroslavl and the Bashneft-Novoil plant in Bashkortostan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the strikes, stating that the operations targeted facilities located up to 1,300 kilometres from the Ukrainian border to disrupt fuel supplies and revenues used to fund Russia’s military campaign.

Ukrainian forces also struck two Russian patrol boats and shadow fleet oil tankers in the Black Sea.

Russian officials in Yaroslavl reported that emergency crews responded to multiple fires at the Slavneft-Yanos site after falling drone debris ignited fuel storage tanks, injuring four people. Russian air defence forces claimed to have intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones across several regions overnight.

Simultaneously, Russian forces launched retaliatory strikes against Ukrainian energy and transport infrastructure.

Heavy bombardment in the southern city of Kherson caused a complete blackout and severely disrupted internet connectivity, while additional Russian drone and missile strikes in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Odesa killed at least 11 people and damaged residential areas, rail infrastructure, and cargo vessels.