Ukraine continued its attacks on Russian oil and gas refineries, hitting two Russian refineries, setting both on fire, as well as hitting five more “ghost fleet” tankers, five cargo ships, a tugboat and an oil transshipment area in the Black Sea, the country’s General Staff said in a statement on Tuesday.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its air defenses intercepted 288 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight.
Vladimir Putin. Image Credit: Russian Government.
Russian authorities said falling debris from a drone attack injured one person and damaged houses in several villages.
Ukraine’s increased attacks on Russian energy facilities in recent months are part of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s 40-day influence operation to pressure Moscow to end the war.
Russia struck back at Ukraine, hitting an oil refinery in Odesa.
Ukrainian forces also struck a Russian ammunition depot in occupied Donetsk and a logistics hub in occupied Luhansk, according to the General Staff.
Tit-For-Tat Refinery Attacks
Kyiv’s drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, known by his callsign “Magyar”, said in a statement that Ukrainian forces targeted two major oil refineries and 11 ships in the Sea of Azov on Monday night.
One of the drone attacks targeted one of Russia’s largest refineries, the Gazpromneftekhim Salavat LLC in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan, located 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) from Ukraine.
Bashkortostan Governor Radiy Khabirov confirmed the attack on the region and stated that there were no casualties.
The independent Astra News Service posted photos on Telegram of huge plumes of smoke rising from the refinery.
President Putin watches the Zapad 2021 joint strategic exercises of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.
It was reported that the Salavat refinery was the only gas refinery that hadn’t been attacked by Ukraine in 2026, although it had been struck in 2025.
Ukrainian drones also targeted the Afipsky Oil Refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, one of the largest refineries in southern Russia.
“A fire broke out at the Afipsky Oil Refinery.
The roofs, facades, windows, and fences of several private houses were damaged. Debris from the drones fell on the grounds of two facilities; in one case, a fire broke out,” the operational headquarters reported.
The refinery has an annual processing capacity of 6.25 million tons of crude oil and gas condensate supplied from Western Siberia and the Volga-Ural region via pipelines and rail.
It produces gasoline, diesel fuel, vacuum gas oil, fuel oil, sulfur, and other petroleum products used by the Russian military.
Bloomberg’s report stated that Russian forces have launched targeted strikes and drone attacks on fuel and port infrastructure in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa.
The bombardments hit military cargo storage facilities, transshipment hubs, and logistics centers, which local officials noted caused fires and injured multiple civilians.
“Shadow Fleet” In The Sea Of Azov Targeted
Ukraine launched further attacks to damage Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” and to limit Russia’s fuel supplies to Moscow’s illegally occupied Crimea.
Ukraine claims that forces have struck 116 vessels over the past nine days in the Sea of Azov in operations targeting Russian shipping.
On Saturday, Ukraine said 21 Russian oil tankers were struck in the Sea of Azov in one of the largest Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian shipping since the start of the war.
These attacks on tankers and dry cargo ships are forcing Russia to reroute grain shipments from the Sea of Azov after the latest attacks on 11 ships overnight.
Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement on Tuesday that the country was preparing to use “alternative shipping routes” and may redirect cargo “to other modes of transport.”
Due to these attacks on Russian shipping in the Sea of Azov, sources told Reuters on Monday that commercial vessels were unable to enter or leave the sea via the Kerch Strait or the Azov-Don channel connecting the sea to the Don River.
Russian FM Lavrov Says Ukraine Is Committing Acts Of Terrorism
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of carrying out “acts of terrorism.”
“What the Ukrainian regime is doing goes beyond even piracy. Pirates, at least, plunder and keep the spoils for themselves.
But here, it benefits neither them nor anyone else – the goal is simply to cause damage and intimidate. It is terrorism, pure and simple,” Lavrov said.
An unnamed Ukrainian military source told Reuters: “The Ukrainian Armed Forces strike only military targets or targets that contribute to strengthening Russia’s combat capability.
“Civilian cargoes are not among them. By talking about attacks on civilian vessels, Russia is looking for a pretext to justify its cynical strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.”
Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries have contributed to a fuel shortage crisis, leading Moscow to ban some fuel exports amid a global surge in energy prices. They have also been forced to import gas and oil from India and Belarus.
Russia plans to import up to 400,000 tons of gasoline per month, including seaborne shipments from India and rail deliveries from Belarus
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
