War

Ukraine reportedly strikes oil depot in Russian-occupied Luhansk

2 min read
A red glow in the night sky in the distance
What purports to be a fire raging at an oil depot in Luhansk after the facility was reportedly struck by Ukraine overnight on Feb. 22, 2026. (Exilenova+/Telegram)

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Ukraine struck an oil depot in Russian-occupied Luhansk overnight on Feb. 22, Telegram news channel Exilenova+ reported.

A strong fire erupted at the facility overnight as a result of strikes and continued to burn into the morning, the outlet reported, citing local residents.

Kyiv regularly strikes deep within Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine in an effort to diminish the Kremlin's fighting power.

Ukraine considers Moscow's energy sites military targets as they fund Russia's war against Ukraine.

In Russia's Udmurt Republic, Ukraine's military launched an overnight operation, striking the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant,  a key missile production hub with long-range cruise Flamingo missiles, Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff confirmed on Feb. 21.

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Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)

Overnight Feb. 18-19, Ukraine reportedly struck an oil depot in Russia's Pskov Oblast and launched missiles at the Russian city of Belgorod, causing power outages in parts of the city, Telegram news channels and local authorities reported.

A source from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent that the attack on the oil depot in Velikiye Luki was the work of their "Alpha" Unmanned Aerial Vehicle unit, which managed to make their way through the anti-drone nets spread over the facility.

"Such operations are an element of systematic weakening of the military potential of the Russian Federation," the SBU source wrote in a statement.

Ukraine successfully attacked a Russian drone warehouse in occupied Luhansk Oblast on Jan. 19, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.

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Volodymyr Ivanyshyn

News Editor

Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.

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 (Updated:  )

The Votkinsk Plant is a strategic, state-owned defense enterprise and one of the most important missile factories in Russia. It produces Iskander ballistic missiles — used in attacks against Ukraine — and nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles.

 (Updated:  )

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on Feb. 20, framed by authorities as a measure to counter security threats and potential attacks, granting Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) broad authority to order the disconnection of individuals from mobile and home internet services.

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