Ukraine strikes six Russian oil refineries in one week, including sites up to 1,600 km from front line
Ukraine's Ministry of Defense reported that Ukraine struck six strategic Russian oil refineries over the course of a week, at distances ranging from 200 km to 1,600 km from the front line. The campaign also targeted a defense plant that produces electronic components for Russian missiles and air-defense systems. Kyiv framed the strikes as a lawful response to Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.
Key points
- Ukraine struck six strategic Russian oil refineries over one week, at distances of 200–1,600 km from the front line.
- Struck refineries include Moscow (~12 Mt/year), Perm (~13 Mt), Novoshakhtinsk (7.5 Mt), Bashneft-UNPZ (~7.5 Mt), Kuibyshev/Rosneft (~7 Mt), and Ilysky in Krasnodar Krai (~6.6 Mt).
- Ukraine also struck the Iskra plant, which produces electronic components for guided aircraft missiles and Pantsyr anti-aircraft missile-gun complexes.
- Ukraine's Defense Ministry called the strikes a 'lawful and fair response' to Russian shelling of Ukrainian cities, civilian infrastructure and the energy sector.
- The Ministry said strikes will continue systematically against targets important to Russia's fuel and energy complex and defense industry.
- On the night of September 26, new long-range strikes were carried out, with Zelensky saying the Ily refinery in Krasnodar Krai and a Pantsir-S2 complex in Rostov Oblast were hit.
Why it matters
The strikes underscore Ukraine's demonstrated ability to hit strategic energy and defense-industrial targets deep inside Russia, at ranges far beyond the front line. By disabling refineries whose combined annual processing capacity runs into tens of millions of tonnes, Ukraine is putting pressure on a sector that underpins both Russia's war effort and its export revenues. The simultaneous targeting of a plant that makes components for guided missiles and air-defense systems points to an effort to degrade Russia's military-industrial base, not just its fuel supply.
What happened
Over the course of one week, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck six strategic Russian oil refineries located between 200 km and 1,600 km from the front line. The hit sites include the Moscow refinery (~12 Mt/year capacity), the Perm refinery (~13 Mt), Novoshakhtinsk (7.5 Mt), Bashneft-UNPZ (~7.5 Mt), the Kuibyshev refinery of Rosneft (~7 Mt), and the Ilysky refinery in Krasnodar Krai (~6.6 Mt). Ukraine also struck the Iskra plant, which manufactures electronic components used in guided aircraft missiles and Pantsyr anti-aircraft missile-gun complexes. On the night of September 26, additional long-range strikes were carried out; Zelensky stated that the Ily refinery, a military plant, and a Pantsir-S2 complex in Rostov Oblast were hit. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense described the strikes as a lawful and fair response to Russian shelling of Ukrainian cities, civilian infrastructure and the energy sector, and said the campaign would continue systematically against Russia's fuel-and-energy and defense-industrial targets.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting, sourced from the Ministry of Defense, frames the strikes as a strategic success and emphasizes the geographic reach of the attacks (up to 1,600 km inside Russia) and the specific processing capacities of the affected refineries. The framing centers on the strikes as a justified response to Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, civilian infrastructure and the energy sector, presenting the campaign as a systematic effort to degrade Russia's ability to wage war.