Escalating Energy Strikes
Russia Hits Ukrainian Fuel Depots; Ukraine Retaliates Striking Moscow Oil Refinery
Key Points
Russia’s Defense Ministry/TASS said the strike included a fuel and lubricants depot near Borispol-2 and the Zaturino Oil Refinery in the Poltava region, and Ukraine’s Poltava regional military administration head Vitaly Dyakivnich reported that “technological equipment” was damaged at an industrial site and that an energy facility strike caused a power outage, with Poltavaoblenergo crews working to restore electricity.
TASS reported that blasts were also heard in Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv following the overnight strikes.
Zelensky said the Moscow Oil Refinery was hit “for the second time in a week” and described it as “one of the key facilities of Russia’s fuel infrastructure” that is important for meeting “the needs of the aggressor.”
Zelensky publicly thanked specific Ukrainian agencies—SBU, SBS, SSO, and GUR—and a missile brigade for “accuracy,” describing their joint work as enabling the operation’s coordination.
EADaily reported that Russian air defense forces shot down 555 Ukrainian UAVs across different regions, and that Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 180 drones were destroyed on approach to Moscow since the start of the day.
Ukraine struck the Moscow Oil Refinery for the second time in a week overnight, while Russia launched a coordinated retaliatory strike on Ukrainian fuel depots and power sites. CBS News reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that "Moscow will burn" if Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continue.
Russia fired an estimated 239 drones and 7 missiles at Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Explosions were reported in the Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions, TASS said. Both sides are framing the strikes as retaliation, with energy and fuel infrastructure the primary targets on each front.
Russia Hits Kyiv Fuel Depot and Poltava Refinery
Russia's Defense Ministry said it used long-range high-precision weapons and Geran-2 drones to hit what it called military energy targets in Ukraine. Key targets included a fuel and lubricants depot near Borispol-2 in the Kyiv region and the Zaturino Oil Refinery in Poltava, according to TASS.
Poltava regional military chief Vitaly Dyakivnich said "technological equipment" was damaged at an industrial site. A separate strike on an energy facility knocked out power, with Poltavaoblenergo crews working to restore electricity. Rolling blackouts are now hitting both the Poltava and Kyiv regions.
Ukraine Hits Moscow Refinery Twice in One Week
Ukraine launched a massive drone wave targeting Moscow, with an estimated 180 drones intercepted on approach to the capital alone. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that "several drones managed to reach the Moscow oil refinery." CBS News reported that all four major Moscow airports — Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky — faced temporary closures.
The Kapotnya refinery processes over 12 million tons of oil per year. It supplies roughly 40% of Moscow's gasoline and 50% of its diesel, according to The Kyiv Independent. Ukraine's General Staff reported 5 separate fire zones at the refinery after the strike. Zelensky called it "one of the key facilities of Russia's fuel infrastructure."
Ukraine Also Struck Rostov and Occupied Territories
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces hit the Gukovo oil depot in Russia's Rostov region and struck strategic bridges in occupied Crimea and Donetsk. He publicly thanked the SBU, GUR, SSO, and a missile brigade for what he called their "accuracy" in coordinating the joint operation.
Russia's Rostov Governor reported 1 dead and 2 injured from strikes in the region. EADaily reported that Russian air defenses claimed to have shot down 555 Ukrainian drones across all regions in a 24-hour period — one of the highest single-day totals of the conflict.
Fuel Shortages and Blackouts Signal Widening Economic Damage
The sustained strikes on Russian refineries are creating real fuel pressure inside Russia. Major suppliers Tatneft, Rosneft, and Lukoil have reportedly begun limiting customers to between 20 and 100 liters per visit in Moscow and St. Petersburg, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Ukraine's earlier strikes this week also destroyed 7 storage tanks holding 95,000 cubic meters of fuel at the Palkino oil pumping station in Yaroslavl, Kyiv Post reported. The destruction of bridges near Hranitne and Rozdolne is expected to slow Russian troop and fuel movements to front lines in southern Ukraine, according to Illawarr Mercury.
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