Ukraine Says Second Strike on Key Russian Oil Refinery Deepens Pressure on Kremlin
Kyiv-Ukraine struck Russia’s Ufa oil refinery for the second time in a week and targeted a missile components plant in the Penza region, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday, as Kyiv intensified long-range attacks aimed at disrupting Russia’s military and energy infrastructure.
Zelensky said the Ufa refinery, one of Russia’s largest producers of lubricants, is located more than 1,000 kilometres from Ukraine and was hit again as part of efforts to increase pressure on Moscow’s war effort.
He also said Ukrainian forces struck a facility manufacturing missile components in Russia’s Penza region, about 500 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
Russian authorities did not confirm the reported strikes, which could not be independently verified. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted 179 Ukrainian drones over 16 regions, as well as over annexed Crimea and the waters of the Azov and Black seas.
Penza Governor Oleg Melnichenko said debris from intercepted drones damaged a power line and fell onto a building under construction but did not report damage to military or industrial facilities.
Ukraine has increasingly relied on domestically developed drones and long-range missiles to target Russian refineries, fuel depots, oil terminals and pipeline infrastructure. The sustained campaign has contributed to fuel shortages in parts of Russia and increased logistical pressure on the Kremlin.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said attacks on supply routes behind the front lines had disrupted Russia’s ability to transport troops and equipment, slowing battlefield operations.
Ukraine has also sought to expand defence cooperation with European partners. During a visit to Kyiv, Swedish Defence Minister Paul Jonson said European countries viewed Ukraine as an important contributor to regional security and supported closer integration with Euro-Atlantic defence structures.
Ukraine signed an agreement with Sweden on Tuesday for the delivery of Gripen fighter aircraft, which Ukrainian officials said would strengthen the country’s ability to counter Russian aircraft carrying glide bombs.
Zelensky travelled to Ireland on Wednesday, where he called for progress in Ukraine’s European Union accession process during Ireland’s rotating presidency of the EU Council.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine continued. Authorities in the southern Kherson region said a Russian drone struck a passenger bus, killing two civilians and injuring six others.
In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, regional officials said overnight Russian strikes on five fuel stations killed a 43-year-old woman and injured three people, including a pregnant woman.
