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Ukraine strikes Russian oil refinery 1,400 kilometers from front, SBU source says

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Ukraine strikes Russian oil refinery 1,400 kilometers from front, SBU source says
Footage purportedly showing smoke rising in the area of the Bashnafta-UNPZ oil plant in Ufa, Russia, following a Ukrainian drone attack on Oct. 11, 2025. (SBU source)

Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) drones struck a Russian oil refinery in the Bashkortostan Republic on the morning of Oct. 11, resulting in explosions and a fire, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.

The news comes as Ukraine escalates attacks against the Russian gas and oil industry, a key source of revenue helping Moscow sustain its all-out invasion.

The strike targeted the Bashnafta-UNPZ plant in Ufa, a city that is one of Russia's largest centers for the refining industry, supplying fuel and lubricants to the Russian Armed Forces, according to the source.

Preliminary reports suggest that after several explosions, a fire broke out in the area of the crude-oil processing unit ELOU-AVT-6.

The source reported that a plume of black smoke was visible rising in the vicinity of the plant, and fire trucks were en route to the site. The extent of damage remains unclear.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its forces downed five fixed-wing Ukrainian drones over Bashkortostan on Oct. 11. Regional authorities have not commented on possible damage or casualties.

The attack against the facility, which lies approximately 1,400 kilometers (about 870 miles) from the front line in Ukraine, marks the third SBU drone strike against Bashkortostan in the past month.

SBU long-range drones previously struck the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat petrochemical plant in the same region in two separate attacks on Sept. 18 and Sept. 24.

Another drone strike, carried out by Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR), hit the Bashneft-Novoyl refinery in Ufa on Sept. 12.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Oct. 11 that Russia's oil processing capacity has dropped by 21% amid Ukrainian attacks. Several Russian regions are facing gasoline shortages as Moscow ramps up fuel imports.

Russia has also recently escalated attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, causing massive blackouts in Kyiv and elsewhere in a drone and missile aerial strike on Oct. 10.

7 EU states increase Russian energy imports in 2025, Reuters reports
Among the seven nations increasing their purchases, France saw a 40% jump, importing 2.2 billion euros ($2.5 billion), while the Netherlands’ imports surged 72% to 498 million euros ($579 million). Belgium, Croatia, Romania, and Portugal also raised their imports. Hungary recorded an 11% increase over the past year.
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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