Overview
- Ukraine said it carried out long‑range strikes on two Russian oil refineries and on Black Sea vessels on Thursday, naming Bashneft‑Novoil in Bashkortostan and Slavneft‑Yanos in Yaroslavl as targets and saying patrol boats and tankers linked to a sanctions‑evasion “shadow fleet” were hit.
- Yaroslavl’s governor confirmed a refinery fire and four injuries and BBC Verify matched social media imagery showing large smoke plumes at the site, while authorities in Bashkortostan had not publicly commented on the reported strike.
- Russia’s defence ministry reported that its air defences intercepted 605 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory during the period, a figure that comes from official sources and has limited independent corroboration.
- The strikes underline Kyiv’s growing long‑range reach — Ukraine said the Bashkortostan site is about 1,300 km from the front and Yaroslavl about 700 km — and are presented by Kyiv as efforts to deny oil revenues that help fund Russia’s war.
- The exchanges have immediate human and strategic consequences: Ukraine reported at least 11 people killed in Russian strikes and a blackout in Kherson, the UN warned about rising civilian harm, and allies face pressure to supply more air‑defence munitions amid escalation risks.