On the night of August 21, 2026, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched long-range drone attacks on two targets within Russia: an oil refinery in Perm and the "Marinovka" military airbase in the Volgograd region. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the attack confirmed the destruction of a Russian Su-34 strike aircraft. The head of state described these actions as "long-range sanctions" intended to "return the consequences of the war to where it came from".
Strikes on Perm Refinery and Marinovka Airbase
The first target was the Perm facility — the "LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez" plant, located, according to Zelenskyy, more than 1,600 km from the Ukrainian border. The second target was the "Marinovka" military airbase in the Volgograd region. The President also reported results of strikes in the Black Sea area. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine added that a fire broke out at the Perm refinery following the strikes, while the extent of damage at the airbase is still being clarified.
Zelenskyy's Statement: "Long-Range Sanctions"
In his address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine "continues to return the consequences of the war to where it came from through our long-range sanctions." He thanked the Defense Forces units for their "precision and accuracy," accompanying the message with the phrase "Glory to Ukraine!". Thus, Kyiv publicly confirmed both the fact of the attacks and their range, extending the strikes far beyond the borderlands.
Fire Trail: Blaze at "LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez"
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Perm plant processes oil and produces more than 60 types of products, with an oil processing depth of about 98 percent — one of the highest indicators among Russian refineries. The enterprise, according to Ukrainian military leadership, is involved in supplying the Russian army. As reported by RBC-Ukraine, the plant processes more than 13 million tons of oil annually and supplies fuel to both the civilian sector and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
Explosions over Crimea and Tavriya TPP
Simultaneously, on the night of August 21, a series of explosions were heard over occupied Crimea, and some settlements were left without electricity. More explosions were recorded near Simferopol and in the area of the Tavriya Thermal Power Plant. These events took place against the backdrop of night strikes on Perm and the Volgograd region, indicating a simultaneous multi-vector drone operation.
Contradictory Data
Some key figures and assessments in this case are one-sided. The distance of "more than 1,600 km" and the claim of an Su-34 hit come from the President of Ukraine and were not independently verified by Russian authorities at the time of publication. The extent of damage at the "Marinovka" airbase is officially "being clarified," and the scale of the fire at the Perm refinery is described differently: some reports speak of a "flaring fire," while others of a "large-scale fire." However, the fact of the attacks on Perm itself has been confirmed, including by the SBU (according to BBC), although the exact damage parameters remain subject to clarification by both sides.
Context: Repeated Attacks on Perm Refinery
As noted by RBC-Ukraine, the "LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez" enterprise has repeatedly become a target of drone attacks throughout 2026. This makes the current strike part of a recurring series of attacks on Russia's deep rear, aimed, according to Kyiv's logic, at infrastructure related to military supply. Thus, the night events of August 21 demonstrate the continuation of the strategy of long-range attacks on energy and military objects outside the borderlands.
