A wave of Ukrainian drone strikes hit oil refinery infrastructure in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan and military positions in occupied Crimea on Saturday morning, Aug. 1, sparking multiple fires. The Russian Defense Ministry called the scale of the overnight attack unprecedented, saying its air defenses intercepted 274 unmanned aerial vehicles across 16 regions and the Crimean peninsula.
In the city of Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan, explosions were reported in the early morning. Local monitoring channels and footage shared on social media indicated that drone strikes targeted the city’s oil refining infrastructure, resulting in several localized fires. Ufa hosts three major refineries; the specific facility hit has not yet been confirmed. Following the strikes, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) imposed flight restrictions at Ufa International Airport, suspending arrivals and departures because of the drone threat.
In Crimea, strikes targeted Russian electronic warfare and air defense positions around Sevastopol. The monitoring group Crimean Wind cited satellite imagery confirming active fires after eight reported explosions. The strikes hit Cape Fiolent, the base of the Black Sea Fleet’s 475th Independent Electronic Warfare Center, which is equipped with high-powered strategic systems including the Murmansk-BN, Krasukha-2, Krasukha-4 and Zhitel. The attack follows a previous operation by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) on July 26-27 that damaged a Murmansk-BN system at the same location.
Separate fires were also recorded near the Kaya-Bash heights in Sevastopol, the site of a known Russian air defense base.
Saturday’s barrage follows coordinated strikes on Friday by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Armed Forces (AFU). Those operations targeted two aircraft storage hangars at the Yevpatoria Aircraft Plant in Crimea, infrastructure at the Port of Taman on the Kerch Strait, and the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery, one of Russia’s largest oil-processing facilities. Drones also struck logistics hubs owned by the Russian e-commerce retailer Wildberries in Volgograd and Zelenodolsk, Tatarstan.
The continuous Ukrainian strikes against Russian energy infrastructure have significantly affected domestic fuel supplies. Russian gasoline production had fallen to roughly 65% of average summer demand by early July, according to earlier industry data, and Saturday’s attacks on refining capacity in the Urals region add fresh pressure on Moscow’s fuel market.
The deep strikes, more than 1,300 kilometers from the front line, underscore Ukraine’s expanding reach as it seeks to raise the cost of the war for the Russian economy. Kyiv has repeatedly said attacks on refineries, warehouses and logistics hubs are aimed at cutting the revenue that funds Moscow’s military campaign.
Sources: Kyiv Post, New Voice of Ukraine, Crypto Briefing.
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