Ukraine Hits Russian Oil Refineries as Moscow Says It Downed 605 Drones

Ukraine carried out one of its biggest long range drone attacks of the war, hitting oil refineries deep inside Russia and targeting military vessels in the Black Sea, while Russia said it intercepted 605 Ukrainian drones overnight. The latest fighting came as Russian strikes killed six civilians in Ukraine, Kyiv appealed for more air defence missiles, and the war's impact spread to global fuel markets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks hit the Bashneft Novoil refinery in Bashkortostan, more than 1,300 kilometres from the front line, and the Slavneft YANOS refinery in the Yaroslavl region, nearly 700 kilometres from Ukraine. He also said Ukrainian forces struck two Russian military patrol boats in the Black Sea and vessels linked to Russia's shadow fleet, which Moscow uses to move oil despite Western sanctions. Reports from Russia said drone debris sparked a fire at oil storage tanks in Yaroslavl and briefly affected traffic on a highway leading to Moscow.

Russia's Defence Ministry said air defences brought down 605 drones over 18 regions, occupied Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas, calling it one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks since the war began.

Russia responded with fresh missile, drone and glide bomb attacks across Ukraine. Officials said three people were killed in the Kharkiv region and three more in the Sumy region, while at least 36 people were injured. Homes, apartment buildings, transport facilities and other civilian sites were damaged in Kharkiv, Sumy, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

The attacks followed Wednesday's deadly Russian strike on the Kyiv region that killed 17 people, adding to pressure on Ukraine's air defences. Zelenskyy said he spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, urging partners to quickly supply Patriot interceptor missiles. He also said Ukraine is speeding up work on its own ballistic and anti ballistic missile programmes as Russian missile attacks continue. The European Union has also moved ahead with new defence funding to help strengthen Ukraine's air shield.

The conflict is also affecting countries far from the battlefield. Indiana declared a new energy emergency, with Governor Mike Braun extending the suspension of state gasoline taxes. State officials linked rising fuel prices to repeated Russian and Ukrainian attacks on shipping routes in the Black Sea and Kerch Strait, along with wildfire related disruptions in Canada's Alberta oil sands. The move highlights how the war is now affecting energy supplies and fuel costs well beyond Europe.