A Russian oil facility was reported on fire in the Perm region on Wednesday following what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as another long-range drone strike by Kyiv deep inside Russia.
Russian media said the blaze broke out at an industrial site in the Ural Mountains region, more than 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine. Some unconfirmed reports suggested it was a pumping station and storage complex. Perm regional governor Dmitry Makhonin said only that a drone hit an unspecified industrial facility, triggering a fire.
Russian authorities have not provided detailed information about Ukraine’s claims of expanding long-range drone operations or the growing precision of domestically produced drones.
The war has increasingly been shaped by drone warfare as Russia continues its large-scale invasion that has entered its fourth year. Ukraine has been focusing on expanding its drone capabilities for both strikes and defense.
Zelenskyy on Wednesday shared a video on Telegram showing thick black smoke rising near a populated area, though he did not confirm the location or target. He said Ukraine was extending the range of its long-distance strikes, calling it a new phase aimed at weakening Russia’s war capability by targeting its oil revenues.
He said the distance of the reported strike exceeded 1,500 kilometers and added that Ukraine would continue increasing the reach of its attacks. He also thanked Ukraine’s Security Service for what he called the precision of its operations.
The reported strike came a day after Ukraine hit the Tuapse oil refinery and terminal on Russia’s Black Sea coast for the third time in under two weeks. The attack prompted evacuations and raised concerns over environmental risks. Russian authorities said the fire there had been contained by Wednesday.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, aiming to disrupt revenue flows that support Moscow’s war effort. A Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said Ukraine is taking advantage of Russia’s vast territory and stretched air defenses to intensify such strikes, supported by increased domestic drone production.
Russia’s defence ministry said its air defenses intercepted 98 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions and in Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is now producing a surplus of some weapons and is preparing to expand cooperation with international partners on drone and missile production. He said discussions are underway with countries in the Middle East, Gulf, Europe and the Caucasus, and that Kyiv has also submitted proposals to the United States for joint defence cooperation.
Russia, however, continues its own long-range strikes on Ukraine. Ukrainian officials reported injuries and damage in several regions, including Kharkiv, Sumy and Odesa. Eight people were injured in Kharkiv region overnight, while a woman died in Sumy due to carbon monoxide poisoning linked to an attack. In Odesa, infrastructure and a hospital building were damaged.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 154 of 171 drones launched by Russia overnight.