Ukraine has claimed responsibility for a deep strike on the Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery in Russia's Orenburg region, more than 1,500 km from the frontline, as Kyiv intensifies attacks on Russian energy and logistics infrastructure.
BBC reported that Ukraine's General Staff said its forces struck the Orsk refinery, calling it one of the region's largest enterprises and an important part of Russia's fuel and energy sector. "A fire has been reported. The extent of the damage is being clarified," it said.
Earlier reports and OSINT monitoring channels indicated that the refinery's ELOU-AVT unit may have been targeted. The hydrocracking complex, which has a capacity of 1.6 million tonnes a year, was also reported to have been hit. The Exilenova+ Telegram channel said, "The oil refinery in Orsk continues to burn."
Orenburg Governor Yevgeny Solntsev confirmed that Ukrainian drones had attacked the region, triggering a fire at an industrial facility. He said eight drones had been shot down and that there were no preliminary reports of casualties.
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BBC reported that the attack also prompted the introduction of the "Carpet" airspace restriction regime, while temporary restrictions were imposed on arrivals and departures at Orsk Airport.
The latest strike comes as Ukraine steps up attacks on Russian energy and industrial assets. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said such strikes are aimed at restricting the oil revenues Moscow uses to finance the war.
Meanwhile, a separate Ukrainian drone attack hit a Wildberries logistics facility in Russia's Voronezh region. Regional Governor Alexander Gusev said one person was killed and two injured, while fires broke out at two warehouses belonging to a major company.
Wildberries, often described as "Russia's Amazon", confirmed that its logistics facilities had been attacked. "The fire that broke out as a result of an attack on the company's logistics facilities in the Voronezh region has been extinguished," the retailer said, adding that goods were mostly unaffected.
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Russia's Defence Ministry said it had intercepted and destroyed 396 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions overnight. It also said Russian forces had struck defence industry targets and transport and logistics centres in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
The developments came amid renewed Ukrainian warnings over Russia's growing military cooperation with North Korea. Zelenskyy has accused Moscow of using North Korean ballistic missiles in strikes on Ukraine and said Russia was increasingly dependent on Pyongyang for military support.
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