A Ukrainian drone struck an oil refinery in the city of Ufa in Russia's Bashkortostan Republic, the head of the republic, Radiy Khabirov, said on Oct. 31.
According to Khabirov, three Ukrainian drones fell within the facility of the oil refinery, with one falling on the refinery itself. The drone caused minimal damage with no casualties reported, Khabirov claimed.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the claims of the official and Ukraine has not yet commented on the alleged attack.
The incident appears to be just the second time since the start of the full-scale invasion that Ukrainian drones attacked facilities in Bashkortostan, which lies some 1,500 kilometers from the country's border.
On May 9, a Ukrainian State Security Service (SBU) source told the Kyiv Independent that a long-range drone operated by the SBU attacked the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat oil refinery.
It was not immediately clear to which refinery the drone allegedly fell on during the most recent attack.
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia's oil industry beginning in the spring of 2024.
The alleged strikes comes as Ukraine and Russia are reportedly holding preliminary discussions about stopping attacks on each other's energy infrastructure, the Financial Times reported on Oct. 29 — although Russia has denied being involved in the talks.
In a show of strength, Kyiv has regularly attempted to strike long-distance targets since the start of the war. In April, Ukraine hit production facilities in Russia's Tatarstan Republic, 1,300 kilometers away from the state border, while in September, Russian officials claimed that Ukrainian drones attacked targets in Murmansk Oblast, located behind the Arctic Circle.
Ukraine's Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in April that the country has domestically-produced attack drones capable of flying over 1,000 kilometers, as Kyiv intensifies its efforts to ramp up domestic production of drones.
Fossil fuels are the primary drivers of the Russian economy and the main source of revenue for the Kremlin's war machine. Despite Western sanctions, Russia still provides oil and gas to other countries around the world, primarily India and China.
Chris York
(Updated: )
