In a far-reaching overnight strike on Friday, Ukrainian forces hit multiple Russian targets hundreds of kilometers apart, striking a refinery in Saratov, a drone storage site at the “Saky” airfield in occupied Crimea, a series of power substations, and military depots in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The long-range precision drone strikes targeted key military, industrial, and energy infrastructure deep inside Russian-controlled territory, the Ukrainian General Staff reported on Friday morning.
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Saratov oil refinery targeted
As part of the efforts to “reduce the military and economic potential of the Russian aggressor,” the General Staff said Kyiv forces struck the Saratov Oil Refinery in Russia’s Saratov region.
The facility produces over 20 types of petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and technical sulfur, and plays a direct role in supporting Russian forces.
“A series of explosions was recorded, followed by a fire in the target area. The results of the strikes are being clarified,” the General Staff wrote.
Crimea airfield hit
In Crimea, Ukrainian forces targeted the Russian-occupied “Saky” airfield in Novofedorivka.
According to preliminary information, several Russian air defense systems, including Pantsir-S1 and Tor-M2 complexes, were damaged in the strikes.
Following the suppression of the air defenses, a hangar storing Orion and Forpost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), along with a command-and-control point and a KamAZ cargo truck, was reportedly destroyed.
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“The extent of the damage is being assessed,” the General Staff said.
Logistics, Personnel Targeted in Donetsk, Luhansk
The General Staff said Kyiv forces also targeted areas of Russian troop concentration, as well as fuel and lubricant depots, in temporarily occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
In addition, several 500-kilovolt (kV) power substations in temporarily occupied Luhansk, en route to Russia’s Rostov region, were reportedly hit.
Drone forces commander hints at more strikes
Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said 10 targets were struck overnight across an “unlimited geographic area.”
Brovdi also warned of escalating operations in the coming weeks, particularly against Russia’s fuel network as he hinted at tit-for-tat moves in response to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid.
“Gasoline is becoming a scarce liquid in the swamps, and gas and oil are highly flammable. All of this is moving toward complete darkness – a cold, long winter. What comes next will be more intense and louder,” Brovdi said.
The strike comes just days after one of Ukraine’s largest drone attacks on Russia, when dozens of drones and missiles hit multiple military and industrial targets across Russian port cities Taganrog, Novorossiysk, and Tuapse on Tuesday.
During the attack, Kyiv forces hit a bomber repair plant, a kamikaze drone factory, a high-tech air defense unit, and oil refineries.
The Ukrainian General Staff called the raids “complex, long-range air operations.” Three civilians were killed, and at least 10 were injured in Taganrog, according to Russian authorities.