Ukrainian forces reportedly strike Russian oil refinery, military airfield
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukrainian forces reportedly struck a military airfield in Russia’s Rostov Oblast overnight on Sept. 16, while a fire broke out at the Yaroslavl oil refinery following reports of a drone attack.
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. He claimed there were no reports of casualties or damage on the ground at the time.
Rostov Oblast hosts several Russian military aviation facilities and has repeatedly been targeted by Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine struck the Millerovo military airfield in Rostov Oblast in late August, destroying several Russian radar systems and damaging aviation infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.
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 time of publication, the Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the reports nor the extent of the damage caused. Ukraine’s military has not publicly commented on the latest reported strikes.
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.
