Ukrainian drone strike on oil refinery deep inside Russia kills at least 13
A Ukrainian drone strike on an oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, 1,200km from the border, has killed at least 13 people, as Kyiv expands its long-range campaign against Russia's oil industry.
A large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on the industrial city of Nizhnekamsk, deep inside Russia, has killed at least 13 people, according to the local mayor. The strike is part of Kyiv's intensifying campaign against targets far from the frontline.
Ukraine's general staff confirmed the target was the Taneko oil refinery, located roughly 1,200km from the Ukrainian border, describing the operation as part of efforts to reduce Russia's "military potential." Online footage showed smoke rising above the refinery.
Tatarstan's regional head, Rustam Minnikhanov, said a drone struck a hostel, killing nine people, and released images of a severely damaged building. Russian investigators claimed other civilian and industrial sites in the city were also hit. If confirmed, the death toll would make this one of the deadliest Ukrainian strikes on Russian soil since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Uzbekistan's consulate said seven of those killed were Uzbek nationals. Minnikhanov declared a day of mourning, while Russian prosecutors opened a criminal case on terrorism charges.
Wider campaign against Russia's energy sector
The Taneko refinery, owned by Tatneft, is among Russia's largest and most technologically advanced, and the site also includes a rubber and petrochemical plant. It was previously struck in June. In a Sunday address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "long-range sanctions" against the Kremlin would continue, calling the remote strike campaign fully justified.
On Monday, the governor of Siberia's Tyumen region reported drones hitting an industrial facility there. Ukraine has previously struck refineries in Siberia some 2,500km from the front, as well as Wildberries warehouses and oil tankers in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea.
Russia's defence ministry said it intercepted 456 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and annexed Crimea. Overnight, Ukrainian forces also struck military targets in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk, and reportedly destroyed missile launch systems in Russia's Kursk and Bryansk regions. Separately, a Russian artillery strike on a village near Kharkiv killed five people on Sunday.
