Ukraine has targeted two major oil refineries deep inside Russian territory in a series of drone attacks that Kyiv said were intended to disrupt Moscow’s oil revenues and its ability to fund military operations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky identified the targets as the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Bashkortostan and the Slavneft-Yanos refinery in the Yaroslavl region.
The attacks were among the deepest Ukrainian strikes inside Russia since the full-scale war began. Zelensky said the Bashneft-Novoil facility is about 1,300 kilometres (808 miles) from the Ukrainian border, while Slavneft-Yanos is approximately 700 kilometres (435 miles) away.
The Yaroslavl refinery was reported to have caught fire following the attack. Regional governor Mikhail Evraevdescribed it as the largest drone attack recorded in the region and said four people were injured. Emergency teams were deployed to respond to the fire.
Images and videos circulated online showed substantial smoke rising from the refinery. BBC Verify said several of the images appeared to show multiple fires at the facility.
Ukraine also reported attacks on two Russian patrol boats and vessels it linked to Moscow's so-called shadow fleet in the Black Sea. Kyiv has accused the vessels of helping transport Russian oil while circumventing international sanctions.
Zelensky said the attacks were intended to increase pressure on Moscow to end the war, while arguing that military action could also contribute to diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the conflict.
The strikes were accompanied by another wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine, with Ukrainian officials reporting at least 11 deaths.
In Balakliya, in northeastern Ukraine, three people were killed when Russian drones struck residential buildings. A separate attack on a train station in Lozova killed two people and injured eight others.
Five additional deaths were reported following Russian strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region. In Kherson, authorities said a critical infrastructure facility was damaged, leaving the entire city without electricity.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had intercepted or destroyed more than 600 Ukrainian drones overnight. Moscow said its strikes targeted Ukrainian fuel, energy and transport infrastructure, as well as facilities used to store drones.
The latest exchange of attacks comes as both sides continue to target energy infrastructure and other strategic facilities despite diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Fighting has continued since then, with limited movement along the principal front lines and repeated attacks on energy and industrial infrastructure on both sides.