Ukraine struck two oil refineries inside Russia in long-range operations aimed at cutting the country’s oil revenue, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces hit the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Bashkortostan, more than 1,300 kilometers from the front line.
They also struck the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in the Yaroslavl region, which Zelenskyy described as nearly 700 kilometers from Ukraine’s border. He did not report the extent of the damage, and the strikes could not be independently confirmed.
In the Black Sea, Ukrainian forces struck two military patrol boats and vessels Zelenskyy said belonged to Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
He said Ukraine’s growing long-range capabilities increased the chances for diplomacy.
“Russia must choose peace,” Zelenskyy said.
The strikes came a day after a heavy Russian aerial assault on Kyiv and the surrounding region that Zelenskyy said killed 17 people and injured 44.
That attack involved 24 ballistic missiles, four Zircon or Oniks missiles and 115 drones, according to Zelenskyy. He said it hit civilian warehouses, infrastructure and a railway station.
Russia’s Defense Ministry gave a different account. In a report carried by state news agency TASS, the ministry said its forces struck military logistics facilities used to store weapons and drone components.
The Ukrainian and Russian accounts conflict over whether the affected facilities were civilian or military.
Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s partners to provide more ballistic missile interceptors and impose tougher sanctions on Russia. He said air defense missile deliveries during the first half of 2026 fell to one-third of the 2025 level.
Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Ukrainian operations against Russian oil and refining facilities were continuing.
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