Ukraine’s 40-day campaign of long-range strikes against Russian targets continues well past the originally stated timeframe, with drones striking a major oil refinery more than 700 miles from the Ukrainian border overnight into August 10.
At least 13 people were killed in Nizhnekamsk, in Russia’s Tatarstan region, during the attack early on Monday, August 10.
Tu-160. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Tu-160 Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Russian authorities said a child was among the dead, while at least seven victims were citizens of Uzbekistan.
The latest regional figures reported by the Associated Press said 78 people were injured.
Ukraine confirmed that its forces targeted the TANECO refinery, a large Tatneft-owned facility and one of the biggest and most technologically advanced in the entire country.
Video footage of the aftermath of the strikes, widely shared on social media, showed large plumes of smoke rising from the facility.
Ukraine’s Deep Strikes Continue
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed on Monday that the operation was part of its campaign to raise the cost of sustaining the war and mitigate the military potential of Russian forces, confirming that a fire had broken out at TANECO following the strike.
The statement also indicated that the long-range strike campaign will not cease any time soon.
“The Defense Forces of Ukraine will continue to systematically carry out measures aimed at stopping the armed aggression of the Russian Federation,” it reads.
While Ukrainian forces have so far proven perfectly capable of launching sustained long-range strikes deep into Russia, the most recent strike is particularly shocking given that Nizhnekamsk lies around 1,200 kilometers, or 750 miles, from Ukraine.
It is one of the longer-range strikes of the campaign so far.
TANECO can process roughly 340,000 barrels of crude oil per day and accounted for more than 6% of Russian refining capacity in previous estimates. One of its primary processing units alone has a capacity of around 155,000 barrels per day.
The overnight strike was also not limited to Tatarstan, with Ukrainian Special Operations Forces confirming that its forces had also struck the ZapSibNeftekhim petrochemical complex near Tobolsk in Russia’s Tyumen region, more than 2,000 kilometers from Ukraine.
Kyiv said that the operation had caused a fire and serious damage at the facility, which is again one of the largest petrochemical complexes in Russia.
Moscow Accuses Ukraine of Terrorism
Russia has once again accused Ukraine of terrorism following the strike. The accusation is not new and has been leveled at Ukraine following many prior strikes.
Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told the state-run TASS news agency on Monday that recent Ukrainian strikes amounted to “outright terrorist attacks.”
“A whole series of outright terrorist attacks is underway. In just the last two days, the number of civilian casualties in just two incidents has already exceeded 80 people. These are colossal numbers that indicate a deliberate escalation,” Miroshnik said.
Tatarstan leader Rustam Minnikhanov said nine people were killed when a drone struck a hostel, while prosecutors opened a terrorism investigation. The region declared a day of mourning.
Ukraine continues to deny deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, and maintains that its long-range operations are directed against facilities supporting the Russian invasion and wartime economy.
In an address on Sunday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia and its war machine will continue.
Russia’s Refineries Take Repeated Hits
The TANECO strike is only the latest in a long series of attacks that have now occurred almost every day for more than a month.
Reuters calculated in May that Ukrainian drones had attacked at least 16 Russian refineries during the first five months of 2026, compared with eight over the same period in 2025.
At one stage, approximately 700,000 barrels per day of refining capacity had been taken offline, with affected capacity exceeding 1,000,000 barrels per day during March and April.
Through the summer, that pace has continued, and Russia’s top 11 oil refineries have all now been struck at least once.
The most recent Ukrainian strikes have targeted facilities in Yaroslavl, Bashkortostan, Saratov, Volgograd, Ryazan, and Samara, among other locations.
In June, a Ukrainian strike forced the Moscow refinery – the largest fuel supplier to the Russian capital city and surrounding region – to halt operations after damage to a primary unit responsible for more than half of the plant’s capacity.
The strike has since become one of the most famous Ukrainian attacks since the beginning of the war, with dramatic footage of a drone striking the facility going viral on social media.
TANECO itself has also been attacked several times before.
Kyiv continues its efforts to raise the cost of Russia sustaining the war by systematically damaging the energy infrastructure that not only generates revenue but also supplies fuel and keeps Moscow’s wartime economy functioning.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, producing and editing analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at 19FortyFive and National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
