Ukraine struck Omsk and Ukhta oil refineries deep inside Russia, Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on October 9 that Ukrainian forces struck two Russian oil refineries — in Omsk and Ukhta — along with a Russian data center he described as a mirror response to Russian strikes on Ukraine. The operation, carried out overnight, used domestically developed long-range drones and reached targets roughly 1,900 km and about 2,500 km from the Ukrainian border.
Key points
- Zelensky announced on October 9 that Ukrainian forces struck the Omsk and Ukhta oil refineries during the night.
- The Ukhta refinery is roughly 1,900 km from the Ukrainian state border; the Omsk refinery is about 2,500 km from the border.
- The Ukhta strike used An-196 RS drones, reported to have a flight range of around 2,500 km; the Omsk strike used FP-6 drones, modified versions of the FP-1.
- The Omsk refinery can process more than 21 million tons of oil per year; the Ukhta refinery processes around 4 million tons annually.
- Zelensky also reported a strike on a Russian data center, framing it as a mirror response to Russian strikes on Ukraine.
- Zelensky announced the strikes via Telegram and Facebook.
Why it matters
The strikes reportedly reached facilities 1,900 km and about 2,500 km from the Ukrainian border, demonstrating a long-range drone capability that extends the known envelope of Ukrainian deep strikes. The Omsk refinery is a significant Russian facility with reported capacity exceeding 21 million tons of oil per year, making it a strategically meaningful target. The An-196 RS and modified FP-6 drones used in the operation are presented as domestically developed long-range systems, and the presidential attribution places responsibility and the strategic narrative at the highest level of the Ukrainian government.
What happened
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on October 9, via Telegram and Facebook, that Ukrainian forces struck two Russian oil refineries during the night — the Omsk refinery and the Ukhta refinery in the Komi Republic. The Ukhta refinery, roughly 1,900 km from the Ukrainian border, was hit using An-196 RS drones, which are reported to have a flight range of around 2,500 km. The Omsk refinery, located about 2,500 km from the border, was struck using FP-6 drones, modified versions of the FP-1. The Omsk refinery can process more than 21 million tons of oil per year; the Ukhta refinery processes around 4 million tons annually. Zelensky also reported a strike on a Russian data center, framing it as a mirror response to Russian strikes on Ukraine. The Omsk refinery is described as one of the largest in Russia, and the targeted facilities are reported to be involved in missile launches and the production of missile fuel.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All available sources are Ukrainian outlets, and they uniformly center President Zelensky as the primary speaker announcing the strikes via his social media channels. Coverage highlights the technical profile of the domestically developed An-196 RS and FP-6 drones, emphasizing the range and modernization of the strike capability. Ukrainian-language reports repeatedly emphasize the geographic distance to the targets — 1,900 km and around 2,500 km from the border — as a way to underscore the long-range nature of the operation. The data-center strike is framed by Zelensky as a mirror response to Russian strikes on Ukraine, an interpretation carried through in the Ukrainian reporting.
Background
The Ukhta refinery's reported annual processing volume is roughly 4 million tons of oil. The operations targeted facilities described as being involved in missile launches and the production of missile fuel. An earlier report in the same batch mentioned a strike on an Interior Ministry administration building in Belgorod that caused damage and likely a fire, alongside the long-range targets.