Ukraine says it has hit a major Russian oil refinery with long-range drones

Ukrainian forces have launched another significant drone attack on a major Russian oil refinery in the Volgograd region, marking the second strike on this strategic facility in less than three months, according to Ukraine’s general staff.

The targeted refinery serves as the largest producer of fuel and lubricants in Russia’s Southern Federal District, processing approximately 15 million tons of crude annually—roughly 5.6% of Russia’s total refining capacity. While Ukrainian officials confirmed the Wednesday attack, Russian authorities did not directly acknowledge it, though the local governor reported that drones had ignited a fire at an unspecified industrial facility in the region.

This assault represents the latest development in an escalating energy infrastructure war between the two nations. Both sides have engaged in near-daily attacks on each other’s critical energy assets, even as U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, now approaching its fourth year, have failed to produce results on the battlefield.

Ukraine’s strategy of targeting Russian refineries with long-range drones aims to undermine Moscow’s oil export revenue—a crucial funding source for Russia’s continued military operations. In response, Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine’s power grid, attempting to deprive civilians of essential services like heating, electricity, and running water during the harsh winter months.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged international assistance in maintaining Ukraine’s power infrastructure amid the onslaught. “Practically every day, our power engineers, repair brigades, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are carrying out restorations after attacks,” Zelenskyy said late Wednesday, noting that strikes continue to hit various points, particularly communities near the Russian border and front lines.

Beyond the refinery attack, Ukraine’s military intelligence reported that saboteurs operating inside Russia had burned dozens of locomotives using Molotov cocktails. According to Ukraine’s GUR intelligence agency, the operation—attributed to a group called Freedom of Russia—targeted control and power supply systems of locomotives transporting military cargo. This claim could not be independently verified, and Russian officials have not commented on the alleged sabotage.

Ukrainian forces also struck three fuel and lubricant facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea and a storage and assembly base for Russia’s Shahed drones in occupied territory in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, according to the general staff statement.

The scope of Ukraine’s aerial campaign extended to the Kostroma region northeast of Moscow, where Governor Sergei Sitnikov reported that Ukrainian drones had hit “energy infrastructure facilities,” though he claimed there were no casualties and power supplies remained intact. Unconfirmed media reports suggested the target was one of Russia’s largest hydroelectric power plants.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses had intercepted 75 drones overnight across multiple regions and annexed Crimea.

Meanwhile, Russian forces continued their own offensive operations. An overnight drone attack on the city of Kamianske in Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region killed one person and injured eight others, according to regional military administration head Vladyslav Haivanenko. The attack caused several fires and partially destroyed the roof of a four-story building.

The Russian military has also intensified its targeting of Ukraine’s railway infrastructure, disrupting transportation in the eastern regions of Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk, as well as the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine’s state-owned railway company Ukrzaliznytsia reported that the attacks have caused delays and route changes throughout these areas.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 135 drones of various types in its overnight assault on Thursday, continuing the pattern of large-scale aerial bombardments that have characterized recent phases of the conflict.

As both sides continue to target each other’s critical infrastructure, civilians on both sides face increasing hardship, with no diplomatic breakthrough in sight to end the devastating conflict that has reshaped European security and global geopolitics.