Drones hit Perm oil refinery and other Russian sites; Zelensky claims strikes on refineries in three regions
On the night of 7 September, drones attacked the Russian city of Perm, home to the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery, one of Russia's largest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces struck oil refineries in Perm Krai, Ryazan Oblast and Tatarstan, as well as a drone launch site in Kursk Oblast and a target in the Black Sea. Local authorities reported one death and four injuries in Perm, with additional damage and casualties in Belgorod, Voronezh, Chuvashia and Taganrog.
Key points
- On the night of 7 September, drones attacked Perm and other Russian regions; Zelensky claimed Ukrainian strikes on refineries in Perm Krai, Ryazan Oblast and Tatarstan.
- A column of smoke was recorded near the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery in Perm; NASA FIRMS satellite data recorded a fire at the site starting before 1 a.m. local time.
- Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez is part of the Lukoil group, processes more than 13 million tonnes of oil per year, and exports over 50% of its output; it sits more than 1,600 km from the Ukrainian border.
- In Perm, a multi-storey building was damaged; local authorities reported one person killed and four injured.
- Governor Dmitry Makhonin said 27 drones were shot down over Perm Krai; the governor had not commented on the attack at the time of initial reporting.
- Zelensky also reported a Ukrainian strike on a drone launch and storage site in Kursk Oblast and a target in the Black Sea.
- Damage and casualties were also reported in Voronezh Oblast (drone debris hit three houses, four cars, a power line and a tractor), Belgorod Oblast (two killed), Chuvashia (cellular tower damaged, no casualties) and Taganrog (fire at an airbase).
Why it matters
The 7 September strike on Perm was the second drone attack on the city within weeks and demonstrated Ukraine's ability to reach targets more than 1,600 km from the border. Damage to Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez, which processes over 13 million tonnes of oil annually and exports more than half of its output, can affect both Russia's domestic fuel supply and its export volumes. Zelensky's public claim of strikes on refineries in three regions, together with a drone launch site in Kursk Oblast, broadens the acknowledged scope of Ukraine's long-range operations.
What happened
On the night of 7 September, drones struck the Russian city of Perm, where one of Russia's largest oil refineries, Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez, is located. A column of black smoke was recorded near the plant, and NASA FIRMS satellite data showed a fire beginning before 1 a.m. local time. Governor Dmitry Makhonin said 27 drones were downed over Perm Krai. In Perm, a multi-storey building was damaged; local authorities reported one death and four injuries. The attacked refinery is part of the Lukoil group, processes more than 13 million tonnes of oil a year, exports over half of its output, and lies more than 1,600 km from Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on 7 September that Ukrainian forces had hit oil refineries in Perm Krai, the Ryazan region and Tatarstan, as well as a drone launch and storage site in Kursk Oblast and a target in the Black Sea. Drone activity and explosions were also reported in Voronezh Oblast (where debris damaged three houses, four cars, a power line and a tractor), Belgorod Oblast (two killed), Chuvashia (a cellular communications tower damaged, no casualties, according to Governor Oleg Nikolaev) and Taganrog in Rostov Oblast (a fire at an airbase; Governor Yuri Slyusar confirmed the attack without reporting destruction). At the time of reporting, the Ukrainian military had not issued a direct official comment on the night's strikes.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The supplied Ukrainian-language coverage leads with the drone strike on Perm's refinery and quotes Zelensky claiming hits on refineries in Ryazan, Perm Krai and Tatarstan, framing the night as a coordinated long-range operation rather than an isolated incident. Articles underline the strategic value of the Perm plant — its scale of more than 13 million tonnes per year, its export share above 50%, and its location more than 1,600 km from the border — to emphasise the depth Ukraine can reach. The Perm strike is placed alongside the 21 August attack and the 2 September fire at the Proton-PM rocket engine plant as a pattern of pressure on Perm's industrial and military facilities. Zelensky's mention of a drone launch site in Kursk Oblast and a target in the Black Sea is used to widen the event from a single city strike into a multi-target operation.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the precise target of the 7 September strike in Perm. Some report that the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery was hit, while an alternative version holds that the drones targeted a powder factory and the Mashinostroitel plant in the Zakamsk district, which produces aircraft engine components and solid-fuel rocket engines. Separately, several articles note that at the time of publication the Ukrainian military had not officially commented on the night's strikes, while Zelensky is quoted as claiming hits on refineries in three regions, a drone launch site in Kursk Oblast and a target in the Black Sea; the input does not contain a direct, time-stamped official statement from the Ukrainian military.
Background
Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez is part of the Lukoil group and is based in Perm, more than 1,600 km from the Ukrainian border. Perm was previously hit by drones on 21 August; during that attack a primary atmospheric-vacuum oil distillation unit at the refinery was reportedly damaged, and Zelensky confirmed a Ukrainian strike on the refinery and on the Marynivka military airfield. On 2 September a separate fire broke out at the Proton-PM rocket engine plant in Perm. Following the 21 August attack, temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures were imposed at Bolshoye Savino airport in Perm.