Ukraine strikes Yaroslavl oil refinery, Russian military airfield, General Staff confirms
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Ukraine struck an airfield in Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast, as well as an oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl overnight on Sept. 17, Ukraine's General Staff confirmed.
The Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ published footage that purportedly showed the moment of an attack on a military airfield in Rostov Oblast. A second video published by the channel appeared to show an additional explosion at the site.
Rostov Oblast Governor Yuri Slyusar claimed on Telegram that drones were destroyed overnight in the Millerovsky and Kamensky districts as Russian forces repelled an aerial attack on the region. The governor claimed there were no reports of casualties or damage on the ground at the time.
The attack on the airfield caused a fire and detonations. Two An-26 transport aircraft, one An-12 transport aircraft, and three helicopters were also hit, according to the General Staff.
Separately, Telegram media channels reported drones entering the industrial zone of the Yaroslavl oil refinery before publishing footage that appeared to show the facility on fire following explosions. Ukrainian drones have targeted oil refineries in this area in the recent past.
At the Yaroslavl oil refinery, the attack caused a fire and damaged the AVT-3 primary crude oil processing unit, the General Staff said.
The Yaroslavl oil refinery is one of Russia's largest oil-processing facilities and is part of PJSC Slavneft. The refinery has an annual processing capacity of around 15 million metric tons of crude oil, according to the statement.
The plant operates a full-cycle refining process and produces gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, fuel oil, bitumen and other petroleum products, the General Staff said.
Ukraine has embarked on a campaign of repeatedly targeting Russian airfields, defense facilities, oil infrastructure, and other military-linked sites in an effort to undermine Moscow's ability to wage its full-scale war.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries have emerged as one of the most economically significant aspects of Kyiv's long-range drone campaign, contributing to fuel shortages and pushing Russian production down sharply over the summer.
