On Saturday, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) announced that Ukrainian long-range drones carried out an attack in the early hours targeting three large oil refineries in Ufa, Russia, which are approximately 1600 kilometers away. This marks one of the recent remote strike operations by the Ukrainian military against energy facilities within Russian territory.
According to a report by the Kyiv Independent on Saturday, the Ukrainian drone strike targeted the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim, Bashneft-Novoil, and Bashneft-UNPZ oil refineries owned by Bashneft in Ufa, the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan in Russia.
The SBU stated that these three refineries form one of Russia’s most important oil refining centers, with an annual crude processing capacity exceeding 23 million tons, primarily producing gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, lubricants, and other petroleum products, some of which are used by the Russian military.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the operation, saying, “These refineries process millions of tons of oil annually, and our ‘remote sanctions’ plan is being implemented step by step.”
The Head of the Bashkortostan Republic, Radiy Khabirov, confirmed the Ukrainian drone attack on Ufa and claimed that the attack had been repelled. He mentioned that the wreckage of the shot-down drones fell into the industrial area, causing smoke, but no casualties.
According to the Financial Times, Ukraine has adjusted its strategy for remote drone operations against Russian energy facilities, now focusing on targeting critical equipment in factories that are difficult to replace rather than causing large-scale fires. This tactic aims to prolong facility downtime and increase Russian repair costs.
The report highlighted that Ukraine relies on energy experts to analyze key pipelines, processing equipment, and connecting systems in Russian refineries to select targets that would lead to longer shutdown periods for the facilities.
Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Troop Commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi stated that the actions were aimed at weakening the energy, financial, and logistical networks that support Russia’s military capabilities.
Recently, Ukrainian drones also attacked Russian oil companies located more than 1500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Simultaneously, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced on August 1 that Ukrainian forces launched attacks on Russian military targets in the occupied Crimea region, including the Russian Navy unmanned boat storage and maintenance facilities, railway bridges, Black Sea Fleet electronic intelligence units, and other military installations.
The Ukrainian side pointed out that some railway bridges are used by Russian forces to transport troops, weapons, and military equipment, serving as crucial channels between the occupied Crimea and Russian-controlled territories in southern Ukraine.
On the same day, Russian officials reported that a container ship operated by the Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO) sank in the Black Sea, blaming the incident on a Ukrainian navy unmanned boat attack.
Additionally, the SBU revealed that Ukrainian drones also attacked three Podlyot-K1 radar stations and one Kasta-2E2 radar station in the Krasnodar Krai of Russia, which are mainly used for detecting airborne targets.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on Saturday that a total of 274 Ukrainian drones had been shot down overnight over Russian territory, including Crimea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov.