--- title: "Ukraine Strikes Two Major Refineries in Russia: Fires at Bashneft in Ufa and Rosneft's Plant in Samara" description: "On the night of September 22, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Bashneft-UNPZ refinery in Ufa and the Kuibyshev Refinery in Samara, with fires breaking out at both enterprises. On September 21, a depot of strike UAVs in Oryol Oblast was also destroyed." date: 2026-09-22T08:44:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-strikes-two-major-refineries-in-russia-ufa-samara tags: [ukraine-russia-war, oil-refineries, bashneft, rosneft, military-strikes, ufa, samara, uav-strike] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Ukraine Strikes Two Major Refineries in Russia: Fires at Bashneft in Ufa and Rosneft's Plant in Samara ![Firefighter in a protective helmet coordinates via radio against a backdrop of flames after a strike on a Russian oil refinery](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/22/ukraina-porazila-dva-npz-v-rossii-ufa-samara/ukraina-porazila-dva-npz-v-rossii-ufa-samara-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - On the night of September 22, 2026, Ukrainian forces struck the Bashneft-UNPZ refinery in Ufa (7.5 million t/year) and the Kuibyshev Refinery in Samara (7 million t/year); fires were recorded at both facilities. - The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the products of both plants are used for the needs of the Russian army, and that the strikes are an exercise of the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. - On September 21, a strike UAV depot in the area of Tsimbulova (Oryol Oblast) was hit: three warehouse buildings, a launch pad, and five launchers were damaged. - The refinery in Ufa had been attacked before — on August 2, 2026, drones hit the plant for the second consecutive night. - On the front in Sumy and Kharkiv Oblasts and on the Donetsk direction, Russian troops failed to achieve any significant advance. On the night of September 22, 2026, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck two major Russian oil refining facilities — the Bashneft-UNPZ refinery in Ufa (Republic of Bashkortostan) and the Kuibyshev Refinery in Samara (Samara Oblast). According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, fires were recorded at both sites following the attacks. This was reported on September 22 by RBC-Ukraine, APA, and 24tv, citing an official statement from Ukrainian command. ### Targets of the strike: two of the largest refineries in the Volga region and the Urals The first target was the Bashneft-UNPZ oil refinery, part of the PJSC "NK Bashneft" structure. The plant's annual processing capacity is approximately 7.5 million tons of crude oil. The refinery produces a wide range of products: gasoline, diesel and boiler fuel, liquefied petroleum gases, sulfur, and other petroleum products. The second target was the Kuibyshev Refinery in Samara, which is part of the PJSC "NK Rosneft" structure and is one of the largest refining enterprises in Russia's Samara group. Its capacity is estimated at around 7 million tons of crude oil per year; the plant produces gasoline, diesel fuel, bitumen, and more than 30 other types of petroleum products.### Military-economic rationale and legal framework The General Staff's statement emphasizes that the products of both struck enterprises are used to meet the needs of the Russian army. Ukrainian command stated that striking such facilities is aimed at reducing the military-economic potential of the Russian Federation. Kyiv's actions are characterized as the exercise of the right of self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. Thus, the strikes on the refineries in Ufa and Samara fit within a broader strategy of attacks on Russia's energy and refining infrastructure, which Ukrainian forces have been carrying out throughout the conflict. ### Context: renewed attack on Ufa and strike on a UAV depot in Oryol Oblast It is worth noting that Bashneft's refinery in Ufa is not the first time it has become a target of Ukrainian strikes. As early as August 2, 2026, as reported by Meduza, Ukrainian drones attacked the same plant for the second consecutive night. Thus, the September strike represents a continuation of systematic pressure on Bashkortostan's refining capacity. In parallel with the attacks on oil refining, on September 21 units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck a Russian military facility in the area of the settlement of Tsimbulova in Oryol Oblast. According to the General Staff, strike drones were stored, prepared for use, and launched there. As a result of the strike, at least three warehouse buildings housing UAVs were hit, with fires breaking out; the launch pad for jet-powered drones and five launchers were also damaged. ### Frontline situation: no significant advances The strikes on Russia's rear infrastructure are taking place against the backdrop of ongoing combat operations at the front. As of September 22, over the previous two days Russian troops had been attempting offensives on several directions. The most tense situation persisted in Sumy and Kharkiv Oblasts, as well as on the Donetsk direction. However, according to Ukrainian command reports, the enemy failed to achieve any significant advance. The combination of strikes on refineries and UAV depots demonstrates that the Ukrainian side continues to conduct a multi-vector operation, combining frontline actions with the destruction of targets in the deep rear. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Defense Forces strike Bashneft-UNPZ and the Kuibyshev Refinery](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/sili-oboroni-vrazili-bashnafta-unpz-ta-kuybishevskiy-1790066345.html) - Подтверждает факт ударов по обоим НПЗ, мощности заводов, пожары, ссылается на Генштаб ВСУ. Данные совпадают с основным текстом. - [Ukrainian army strikes two refineries in Russia](https://ru.apa.az/strani-snq/ukrainskaya-armiya-nanesla-udary-po-dvum-npz-v-rossii-673393) - Независимое агентство APA подтверждает удары по двум НПЗ. Версия совпадает с РБК-Украина. - [Defense Forces strike Bashneft-UNPZ and the Kuibyshev Refinery](https://24tv.ua/ru/vsu-nanesli-udar-po-npz-bashneft-unpz-i-kujbyshevskomu-npz-v-rossii_n3146540) - Третий источник подтверждает факт атак и пожары. Хронология и детали идентичны. - [Ukrainian drones attack Bashneft's refinery in Ufa for the second night in a row](https://meduza.io/news/2026/08/02/ukrainskie-drony-vtoruyu-noch-podryad-atakovali-npz-bashnefti-v-ufe) - Событие от 02.08.2026 — предыдущая атака на тот же завод в Уфе. Использовано как исторический контекст, не как подтверждение текущего события от 22.09.2026. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Which specific facilities were struck on the night of September 22? **A:** According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, two oil refineries were struck: the Bashneft-UNPZ in Ufa (Republic of Bashkortostan) and the Kuibyshev Refinery in Samara (Samara Oblast). Fires were recorded at both enterprises. ### Q: What is the capacity of the struck plants? **A:** The annual processing capacity of Bashneft-UNPZ is about 7.5 million tons of crude oil, and that of the Kuibyshev Refinery is about 7 million tons of crude oil per year. ### Q: Is this the first attack on the refinery in Ufa? **A:** No. As early as August 2, 2026, Ukrainian drones attacked the same Bashneft plant in Ufa, with strikes being delivered for the second consecutive night, as reported by Meduza. ### Q: What else was struck as part of this operation? **A:** On September 21, 2026, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck a facility in the area of Tsimbulova (Oryol Oblast) where strike UAVs were stored and launched. Three warehouse buildings, a launch pad, and five launchers were damaged. ### Q: What is the legal characterization of the strikes by Ukraine? **A:** The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine characterizes the strikes as the exercise of the right of self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and states that the aim is to reduce Russia's military-economic potential.