Ukrainian drones strike two Russian oil refineries overnight, HUR and General Staff confirm
On the night of 13 September 2026, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck two Russian oil refineries — Slavyansk-ECO in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, Krasnodar Krai, and TANECO in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan — causing large-scale fires. Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) and the General Staff publicly confirmed the operation, carried out as part of a deep-strike campaign.
Key points
- Overnight strikes on 13 September 2026 hit the Slavyansk-ECO refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, Krasnodar Krai, and the TANECO refinery in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan.
- At Slavyansk-ECO, a key oil processing unit and the tank farm were hit; thick smoke and flames were visible from tens of kilometers away.
- A fire broke out at TANECO; Nizhnekamsk Mayor Radmir Belyaev reported a fire at "one of the city's enterprises" but said production was not halted.
- In Nizhnekamsk, two people were killed and two others hospitalized in serious condition; a residential building was damaged.
- In Krasnodar Krai, one person was injured, four residential buildings were damaged, and fires burned at the enterprise.
- The operation was carried out by HUR's Active Actions Department and Unmanned Systems Department together with other Defense Forces units as a deep-strike action.
- Ukraine's HUR and the General Staff publicly confirmed the strikes.
Why it matters
The strikes hit two oil refineries hundreds of kilometers apart in a single night, showing the long reach of Ukrainian drone operations. Both are major Russian fuel producers, and Slavyansk-ECO is reported to supply the Russian armed forces, making the strikes strategically significant for Russia's war logistics. Both Ukraine's military intelligence and the General Staff publicly claimed the operation, framing it as part of a coordinated deep-strike campaign.
What happened
On the night of 13 September 2026, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Slavyansk-ECO refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, Krasnodar Krai, and the TANECO refinery in Nizhnekamsk, Republic of Tatarstan. At Slavyansk-ECO, a key oil processing unit and the tank farm were hit; a large-scale fire broke out, with smoke and flames visible from tens of kilometers away. At TANECO, a fire on one of the tanks was recorded. Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) and the General Staff confirmed the operation, which was carried out by operators of HUR's Active Actions Department and Unmanned Systems Department together with other Defense Forces units as part of a deep-strike campaign. In Nizhnekamsk, two people were killed and two others were hospitalized in serious condition, with a residential building damaged. In the Slavyansk district of Krasnodar Krai, the local operational headquarters reported one injured person, four damaged residential buildings, and fires at the enterprise.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on the annual processing capacity of Slavyansk-ECO: one describes "over 4 million tonnes per year," another "approximately 5.2 million tonnes per year." The exact identity of the Nizhnekamsk enterprise that caught fire was not officially confirmed — Nizhnekamsk Mayor Radmir Belyaev referred only to "one of the city's enterprises," while media and later Ukrainian General Staff statements attribute the fire to TANECO (Tatneft).
Background
The Slavyansk-na-Kubani refinery had previously been hit by drones in June, when it suspended operations due to fire. Nizhnekamsk hosts several refineries, including TANECO (Tatneft), TAIF-NK, and Nizhnekamskneftekhim. Ukraine's General Staff also reported a separate strike on the Saratov refinery (Rosneft) on 11 September, damaging the ELZU-AVT-6 primary processing unit and a section of the main pipeline, and a hit on a UAV launch site in Millerovo, Rostov Oblast.