Zelensky confirms Ukrainian drones struck two Bashneft refineries in Ufa, 1,500km from the front
The SBU's Liutyi unit targeted the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim and Bashneft-Novoil facilities; the same night, a Krasnodar oil depot was hit
Summary
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) struck two Bashneft refineries in Ufa, Bashkortostan on the night of June 24-25, in strikes confirmed by President Zelensky on June 25 morning. The targets were Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim, whose AVT-5 atmospheric distillation unit was hit (the same unit had been struck in October 2025), and Bashneft-Novoil (Bashneft-UNPZ). Both facilities lie approximately 1,400-1,500km from the Ukrainian-Russian front line, the deepest confirmed Ukrainian strikes into Russian territory since the start of the full-scale war. The SBU's Liutyi drone unit carried out the Ufa operation. The same night, Defense Forces units struck the Poltavska oil depot in the Krasnodar region, about 300km from the front. Zelensky described the range as a deliberate message about Ukraine's strike reach.
The split
Ukrainian government sources and Ukrainska Pravda frame the strikes as a direct blow to Russian fuel production for the war effort and proof that no part of Russia is strategically safe. Russian state media (RIA Novosti) confirmed a drone attack on a Ufa refinery facility but described most drones as intercepted and damage as limited; no independent Russian verification of the AVT-5 unit's condition is available. APA's South Caucasus perspective notes the economic dimension: Bashneft output feeds regional fuel markets through pipelines crossing the Caspian corridor, and sustained damage to the AVT-5 unit would reduce refined product available for export as well as domestic military use.
By the numbers
- 1,400-1,500km, distance from the front line to Ufa (deepest confirmed Ukrainian drone reach)
- 2, Bashneft refineries struck (Ufaneftekhim and Novoil/UNPZ)
- 300km, distance to the Poltavska oil depot near Krasnodar, also struck
- October 2025, previous confirmed strike on the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim AVT-5 unit
- Liutyi, the SBU drone unit that executed the Ufa mission
Why it matters
Ufa holds two of Russia's largest petroleum-processing complexes. Repeated strikes on distillation units reduce Russia's capacity to convert crude into refined military fuels, including aviation fuel and diesel, constraining logistics for the ground war. The 1,500km range means Ukraine can now credibly threaten Siberian pipeline infrastructure, the Ural industrial belt and military-industrial hubs well beyond previous strike envelopes. Any sustained output loss from Bashneft would feed into already-fragile crude markets and tighten Russia's fiscal position.
What to watch
- Satellite imagery of Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim and Bashneft-Novoil in the next 48-72 hours to confirm damage extent.
- Russian crude-to-refined product output reports for July (Bashneft's monthly production figures).
- Whether Russia responds with escalated strikes on Ukrainian grid infrastructure or port facilities.
- Whether the strikes prompt any shift in the Geneva talks posture on energy infrastructure targeting.