People queue to refuel their cars at a Gazpromneft petrol station in Yaroslavl on July 15, 2026. Russia — one of the world’s largest oil producers — has introduced a swath of restrictions on petrol sales across the country, as Ukrainian strikes on its refineries, depots and logistics crimp domestic supply.
Igor Ivanko | Afp | Getty Images
Ukraine’s military on Thursday struck two Russian oil refineries hundreds of miles from its border, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Kyiv continues to target the country’s energy infrastructure.
Ukraine’s armed forces struck the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Bashkortostan and the Slavneft-Yanos refinery in the Yaroslavl region, Zelenskyy said.
In a post on social media, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s long-range sanctions had “once again worked to limit Russia’s oil revenues, which it uses to finance the war and the killing of Ukrainians.”
The Slavneft-Yanos facility in Yaroslavl, which is situated hundreds of miles from the Ukraine border and about 170 miles (274 kilometers) northeast of Moscow, is one of Russia’s biggest oil refineries. It has previously been targeted by Ukraine’s military throughout the conflict.
The facility employs more than 3,500 people and makes about 15 million tons of crude oil each year, according to its website. Its products include fuel for cars, jet fuel and a wide range of oils.
Mikhail Evraev, governor of the Yaroslavl region, said on Thursday that the region had faced its largest-ever drone attack, with air defense and electronic warfare destroying 93 drones.
“Falling debris hit the oil refinery’s storage tanks. Emergency services are working to extinguish the fire,” Evraev said via Telegram. There were no casualties, but four people sustained injuries, he added.
Alongside mid- and long-range drone attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia’s Amazon-style retail giant Wildberries in recent weeks, seeking to squeeze a critical piece of Russia’s consumer economy and create a new pressure point for President Vladimir Putin.
Russian forces, meanwhile, have increased the number of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, likely seeking to exploit Kyiv’s shortage of ballistic missile interceptors.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy also said the country’s armed forces had responded to Russian attacks on ships in the Black Sea by striking two military patrol boats and shadow fleet vessels.
One person was killed and three others were injured in a Russian attack on a foreign-flagged ship loaded with Ukrainian wheat in the Black Sea, according to Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper.
A fire broke out on the Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship, Kiper said via Telegram on Thursday, and the crew was evacuated.
