Ukraine has targeted at least two major oil refineries inside Russia — including one located 1,400 kilometers from the front lines — while Romania reported a violation of its airspace by Russian drones. This comes just days after Poland, another NATO member, confirmed that Russian drones had entered its territory.
Officials in Russia’s Bashkortostan region said on September 13 that a fire broke out at one of the state’s largest oil refineries in the city of Ufa after debris from two Ukrainian drones hit the facility.
“The two downed drones fell within the refinery compound,” wrote Radiy Khabirov, head of the Bashkortostan region, on Telegram. “The first caused a small fire that was quickly extinguished. In the second case, water supplies were disrupted,” he added, noting that the facility continues to operate. The Ufa airport briefly suspended operations following the strike.
Hours later, Aleksandr Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region, confirmed that the Kirishi oil refinery was also struck by debris from Ukrainian drones, sparking a fire early on September 14. He added that there were no casualties. The same refinery had been hit in March 2024, which cut production by half.
Russian officials further reported that a Ukrainian drone strike hit an “industrial enterprise” in the Perm region near the Ural Mountains, more than 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine’s border, though no details were provided.
According to Reuters, by the end of August, Ukrainian drone attacks had disabled around 17% of Russia’s oil refining industry, threatening fuel shortages and delivering a significant blow to the Kremlin’s budget through lost oil revenues.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine is intensifying its strikes against Russia’s war-related infrastructure in retaliation for Moscow’s continued attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure.
“We are doing everything possible to reduce Russia’s ability to wage war,” Zelensky said in his Saturday evening address. “Our deep strikes will intensify — the funding and tasks for this are already in place. Diplomats are also actively working with all partners to reduce their trade with Russia. And we are coordinating our actions.”
His remarks came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump urged NATO members on September 13 to stop purchasing Russian oil, arguing that such a move would help end the deadly conflict. Trump further suggested NATO states impose secondary tariffs of 50–100% on China for buying Russian fuel, with the promise that these tariffs would be lifted once the war ends.
Meanwhile, Romania’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that its NATO-member airspace had been violated by a Russian drone during a strike against Ukrainian infrastructure. Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the drone later exited Romanian airspace and re-entered Ukraine. Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were scrambled in response, later replaced by two German Eurofighter Typhoons.
Earlier, on September 10, at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, escalating tensions between NATO and Moscow. On September 12, NATO launched Eastern Guard, a mission aimed at strengthening defense for member states bordering Russia.
