Ukrainian forces strike oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd Oblast, aircraft factory in occupied Crimea, military confirms

Editor's note: This story was updated with statements from the Security Service of Ukraine, the General Staff, and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine struck an oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd Oblast and hit an aircraft plant in the city of Yevpatoriia in Russian-occupied Crimea on July 31, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the General Staff confirmed.

In the city of Volgograd, the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery, one of Russia's largest oil refineries, with an annual crude oil processing capacity of 15 million metric tons, was targeted. The facility produces gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel and also supplies fuel used by Russian forces, the General Staff said.

A fire was reported at the site following the attack, the General Staff added.

Russian independent outlet Astra reported that a logistics complex belonging to Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries was targeted. The company also said it had temporarily suspended operations at the warehouse, where a fire broke out.

Astra also reported an overnight attack on another Wildberries facility in Zelenodolsk, Tatarstan.

The latest attacks on the Wildberries warehouses are part of Ukraine's campaign against Russian logistics hubs that sell and store dual-use goods, including items used in the production of Russian drones. Ukraine has previously struck more than 10 such warehouses across Russia.

Following the recent strikes, the company reportedly removed products from search results for the Russian-language terms "everything for the SVO" and "SVO," an acronym for "special military operation," the Kremlin's official term for its full-scale war against Ukraine.

Volgograd Oblast Governor Andrei Bocharov said a Ukrainian attack on Volgograd killed one woman and injured eight others. The governor added that fires broke out at an industrial facility and warehouse premises in the city but did not identify the affected sites.

Later in the day, the SBU said it was behind the attack on the Volgograd oil refinery, saying that the same operation also targeted two aircraft storage hangars and a production facility at an aircraft plant in Yevpatoriia, Russian-occupied Crimea. The SBU also said it struck the port of Taman in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, where a large-scale fire was reported.

President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on Ukraine's latest strikes deep inside Russian territory, saying that Ukrainian forces hit three logistics centers in Sarapul, Kazan, and Volgograd on July 31. The facilities were located 500 to 1,300 kilometers (310 to 800 miles) from Ukraine, Zelensky said.

Zelensky did not clarify whether the logistics centers were Wildberries warehouses.

Zelensky also confirmed strikes on the oil refinery in Volgograd, located nearly 480 kilometers (300 miles) from the front line, and the maritime terminal in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, located about 270 kilometers (170 miles) away.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the reported strikes or the extent of the damage.