On the night of Ukraine's Constitution Day, the country's Defense Forces carried out a large-scale operation, striking two strategically important Russian energy facilities. The targets were oil refineries located deep in the enemy's rear — in the Krasnodar Krai and the Yaroslavl region.
This was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his Telegram channel, calling these actions "long-range sanctions" against the Russian war machine. According to him, each such attack deprives Moscow of the resources needed to wage war and is a step toward peace.
Strikes on the rear: from Kuban to Yaroslavl
One of the targets was the "Slavyansky" refinery in the Krasnodar Krai. The facility is located approximately 300 kilometers from the front line. Witnesses reported a series of powerful explosions, after which a thick column of smoke rose over the plant, and a large-scale fire broke out. Preliminary data suggests that the fire engulfed several fuel storage tanks.
The second strike hit a refinery in the Yaroslavl region. This location is about 700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The fact of the facility being hit confirms the ability of Ukrainian drones to reach targets deep inside Russian territory, causing damage to the enemy's logistics and economy.
Context of escalation
These attacks are part of a series of strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure. Earlier, on the night of June 28, drones had already attacked an oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban. Even earlier, on June 25, Ukrainian drones struck a fuel depot in Kuban and two plants in Ufa, located 1,500 kilometers from the front line.
It was also reported that NORSI, the fourth-largest refinery in the country in the Nizhny Novgorod region, halted operations after an attack by a Ukrainian drone. Kyiv continues to insist that such actions are a response to Russian terror and are aimed at weakening the aggressor's military potential.