Ukraine Targets Russian Oil Infrastructure Deep Behind Front Lines; Zelenskyy Seeks Additional Air Defense Missiles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday that his nation’s forces struck multiple Russian oil facilities far inside Russian territory during overnight attacks, continuing a systematic effort to weaken Moscow’s economy and damage Kremlin credibility. The strikes reached a refinery in Bashkortostan, located more than 1,300 kilometers behind the front line, and another refinery in the Yaroslavl region roughly 700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, according to statements Zelenskyy posted on social media.

Beyond the inland targets, Ukrainian military assets also engaged two Russian patrol boats operating in the Black Sea and vessels belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet—the network of ships Moscow deploys to circumvent international sanctions on oil exports. Zelenskyy did not elaborate on damage assessments or specific details regarding the maritime strikes, though previous Ukrainian operations have disrupted Moscow’s energy infrastructure.

Russian authorities reported that air defense systems destroyed 605 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions, including the illegally annexed territory of Crimea and areas surrounding the Black and Azov seas. Meanwhile, Russian drone and glide bomb assaults killed at least three civilians and wounded 22 others across Ukraine on Thursday, according to state authorities monitoring the ongoing bombardment campaign.

Ukraine’s military leadership is intensifying appeals for additional air defense interceptor missiles, citing critical shortages that have left the nation vulnerable to sustained Russian attacks. Officials attribute depleted stocks of Patriot system missiles to competing demands in the Iran theater, leaving Ukrainian air defenses inadequate against Russia’s ballistic missile arsenal, which analysts say only Patriot systems can reliably counter.

Zelenskyy contacted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Finnish President Alexander Stubb Wednesday evening to request emergency procurement of interceptor missiles from allied stockpiles following a Russian barrage that killed 17 people in the Kyiv region. Rutte confirmed ongoing coordination with partner nations capable of supplying the weapons, while Zelenskyy emphasized the need to expedite political decisions and eliminate procedural delays blocking deliveries.

Russian forces launched four ballistic missiles and 101 long-range strike drones at Ukrainian targets between Wednesday and Thursday, with Ukrainian air defenses defeating or jamming 66 of the unmanned aircraft. In Balakliia, located in northeastern Kharkiv region, three civilians died when strikes hit residential homes, according to city military administrator Vitalii Karabanov.

The Sumy region sustained 12 civilian injuries from Russian glide bomb strikes, with apartment buildings and infrastructure suffering extensive damage and hundreds of windows destroyed, regional military chief Oleh Hryhorov reported. A Russian drone struck a bus transporting agricultural workers in southern Kherson, wounding six people, while another unmanned strike in southeastern Zaporizhzhia wounded four residents in a residential area, city administrator Ivan Fedorov stated.