War

Ukrainian drones reportedly strike oil refinery in Russian city of Ufa

2 min read
Smoke rising from a commerical site in the distance filled with red and white smokestacks
What purports to be smoke rising from an oil refinery in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia in the early hours of April 2, 2026. (Exilenova Plus/Telegram)

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

Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in the Russian city of Ufa in the early hours of April 2, independent media reported.

The Bashneft-Novoyl oil refinery was struck by drones, leaving a fire at the site, according to the Ukrainian Open Source Intelligence project CyberBoroshno.

A residential building was also struck and set on fire in Ufa, independent Telegram outlet Astra reported.

There were no injuries or deaths as a result of the strike on the building, and the flames have been extinguished, local authorities said.

Ufa is located approximately 1300 kilometers (800 miles) from Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia.

Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep within Russia and occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow's fighting power.

Kyiv considers oil facilities to be valid military targets as they directly fund Russia's war.

Overnight on March 30, Ukrainian forces reportedly struck a chemical plant in Russia's Samara Oblast, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

Ukraine struck an oil and gas terminal in the Russian port of Ust-Luga for the second time in the span of a week, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on March 29 in an operation led by the SBU's Alpha special forces unit.

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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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