Ukraine says drone strikes hit Russian oil depots, tankers and fuel infrastructure
Ukraine says it has struck multiple Russian oil facilities in a coordinated drone attack that set two tankers ablaze in the Sea of Azov and hit sites in several regions across Russia. The reported targets included oil depots in the Tver and Stavropol regions, an oil-pumping station in Ufa, and an oil-loading terminal in the Rostov region. The strikes were described by Kyiv as part of its long-range campaign against Russian energy infrastructure.
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Rostov governor Yury Slyusar said one of the tankers in the Sea of Azov was still burning after the attack and that crews had been evacuated. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his forces also hit a reserve fuel storage facility about 800km from the front line and an oil-pumping station nearly 1,500km from Ukraine's border. He said the attacks were carried out in response to Russian strikes and Moscow's refusal to end the war.
The reported damage comes as Russia continues to face a fuel crisis linked to repeated attacks on oil depots and refineries. According to official statements and local media reports cited in the source material, more than 90% of Russian regions have introduced some form of rationing or reported shortages in petrol and diesel. Moscow has also banned a number of fuel exports, underlining the pressure on a sector that is central to state revenues and domestic supply.
The strikes also highlight the widening reach of Ukraine's drone campaign. The facilities named in the report are spread across a large geographic area, from western Russia to the Volga region and the Black Sea-adjacent Sea of Azov. That range suggests Kyiv is continuing to target logistics and storage nodes that support Russia's energy system, rather than only front-line military positions.
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The attacks took place against the backdrop of a broader exchange of long-range strikes between the two sides. Russia's defence ministry said air defences downed 73 Ukrainian drones from late Wednesday into early Thursday, while Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 94 long-range strike drones and two ballistic missiles overnight. Ukraine said 19 drones and both missiles caused damage at 13 locations, showing that both countries remain engaged in sustained cross-border attacks.
What remains unclear is the full extent of the damage at each site and whether the oil-loading terminal in the Rostov region was the same strike described by the regional governor. It is also not clear how quickly the tankers and other facilities can be brought back into service. The next developments to watch are any Russian assessment of the damage, further Ukrainian claims about the operation, and whether the fuel shortages inside Russia deepen further.
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