Ukraine strikes two major Russian oil refineries in long-range drone attacks

Published Aug 6, 09:07 AM UTC

Ukraine's military conducted long-range drone strikes on two major Russian oil refineries on Thursday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The targets were the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Bashkortostan and the Slavneft-Yanos refinery in the Yaroslavl region, hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border. The Slavneft-Yanos facility, one of Russia's largest oil refineries, produces about 15 million tons of crude oil annually and employs over 3,500 people. Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Evraev said the region faced its largest-ever drone attack, with air defense destroying 93 drones, though falling debris hit storage tanks and caused a fire. Four people were injured but no casualties were reported. Zelenskyy stated the strikes are part of Ukraine's strategy to limit Russia's oil revenues used to finance the war. The attacks come as Ukraine also intensifies strikes on Russian consumer infrastructure like Wildberries, while Russian forces have increased missile strikes on Ukrainian cities.