Ukraine launched one of its deepest strikes into Russian territory on Saturday, hitting three major oil refineries in the republic of Bashkortostan and sinking a sanctioned container ship controlled by Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the Black Sea.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed that long-range aerial drones targeted three Bashneft facilities in Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan, approximately 1,600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The targeted sites included the Bashneft-Ufimsky, Bashneft-Novoil, and Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim refineries, which together process roughly 23.5 million tonnes of oil per year and form a critical node in Russia’s domestic fuel supply.
Fires were reported at multiple facilities following the strikes. The combined refinery complex is among the largest in Russia and plays a key role in supplying fuel to Russian military operations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strikes on social media, saying Ukraine had brought the war back to Russia overnight.
In a separate operation, Ukrainian naval drones struck the container ship Yanina in the Black Sea near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, approximately 130 miles from shore. Rosatom confirmed the vessel sank after being hit by at least two unmanned boats. All 17 crew members were rescued. The ship was owned by FESCO, a sanctioned Russian logistics operator that is part of the Rosatom corporate structure.
The SBU also reported that Ukrainian forces destroyed four Russian radar systems during the overnight operations, further degrading Moscow’s air defense capabilities. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 274 Ukrainian drones across 16 regions, a figure that underscores the massive scale of the Ukrainian operation.
The strikes represent a significant escalation in Ukraine’s long-range campaign against Russian energy infrastructure. By targeting facilities in Bashkortostan, Ukraine demonstrated its ability to reach deep into Russia’s interior, far beyond the range of most Western-supplied weapons. The sinking of the Yanina also marks a continuation of Ukraine’s naval drone campaign, which has systematically targeted Russian commercial shipping in the Black Sea since mid-2024.
The attack on the Yanina is particularly notable because FESCO had been in discussions with Dubai-based DP World about a potential deal that would have provided a lifeline for Russian shipping operations circumventing Western sanctions. The loss of the vessel adds pressure to Russia’s already strained maritime logistics network.
Sources: Kyiv Independent, UNITED24 Media, The Moscow Times
Author: Ukraine Desk
discussion