Ukraine strikes two Russian oil refineries and multiple drone-control sites in overnight operation
On September 12 and during the night of September 13, 2026, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck two Russian oil refineries — Slavyansky in Krasnodar Krai and Taneko in Tatarstan, more than 1,200 km from the Ukrainian border — along with drone launch and control sites in occupied Donetsk, Kherson Oblast and Crimea, and a radar station and arms depot in Russia's Bryansk Oblast.
Key points
- Two oil refineries hit overnight: Slavyansky in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, Krasnodar Krai, and Taneko in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan.
- Taneko is one of Russia's largest and most modern refineries, with a design capacity of more than 16 million tonnes of oil per year; located over 1,200 km from the Ukrainian border.
- Both refineries are reported to supply the Russian military with diesel, aviation kerosene and gasoline.
- Fire recorded on the territory of Slavyansky; a reservoir at Taneko also caught fire.
- Strikes hit drone-related infrastructure: launch sites in occupied Donetsk, Millerovo (Rostov Oblast), ground repeaters for Geran/Gerbera UAVs near Zaliznyi Port, Skadovsk, Chornomorske and Olenivka, and an antenna complex in Olenivka.
- Other targets: a target-tracking radar near Riovny in Bryansk Oblast and a weapons and military equipment storage site near Rechitsia in Bryansk Oblast.
- Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces announced the strikes via Facebook.
Why it matters
The overnight operation extended Ukraine's deep-strike campaign to Taneko, one of Russia's largest and most modern refineries, more than 1,200 km from the border, while also hitting Slavyansky — two facilities reported to supply the Russian military. By simultaneously striking the chain used to control Geran/Gerbera strike drones — launch sites, ground repeaters and an antenna complex in occupied Donetsk, Kherson Oblast and Crimea — and hitting a target-tracking radar and an arms depot deeper in Russia, the operation demonstrated a broad, multi-target approach against Russian military infrastructure and the systems that enable its long-range drone attacks on Ukraine.
What happened
On September 12 and during the night of September 13, 2026, units of Ukraine's Defense Forces carried out strikes on a series of Russian military targets. In occupied Donetsk, a site used for the storage, preparation and launch of Russian strike UAVs was hit. Near Zaliznyi Port and Skadovsk in Kherson Oblast, and near Chornomorske and Olenivka in occupied Crimea, ground repeaters used to control Geran/Gerbera-type strike UAVs were struck, along with an antenna complex in Olenivka. Near the settlement of Riovny in Russia's Bryansk Oblast, a target-tracking radar station was hit, and near Rechitsia in Bryansk Oblast, a weapons and military equipment storage site was hit. During the night of September 13, two Russian oil refineries were struck: the Slavyansky refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, Krasnodar Krai, with a fire recorded on its territory, and the Taneko refinery in Nizhnekamsk, Republic of Tatarstan, where a fire was reported in one of its reservoirs. A drone launch, preparation and storage site in Millerovo, Rostov Oblast, was also hit. Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces announced the strikes via Facebook. The previous Ukrainian strike on Taneko had been reported on August 20.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian sources, all domestic, present the strikes as a broad operation against "important military objects" of the Russian army. They emphasize the role of the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces in confirming the strikes, and report that HUR (Ukrainian military intelligence) said the Slavyansk-EKO processing unit and reservoir park were hit. The reporting highlights the size and modernity of Taneko, its distance of over 1,200 km from the Ukrainian border, and the military-supply role of both refineries.
Background
The previous Ukrainian strike on the Taneko refinery was reported on August 20. On September 11, the Saratov oil refinery suffered damage to its ELZU-AVT-6 primary processing unit and a section of main pipeline. Ukraine's General Staff announced the September 12–13 strikes via Facebook.