Ukraine expands long-range drone campaign after strikes hit deep inside Russia
Ukraine says its long-range drone campaign reached targets over 1,300km away, striking an oil refinery in Ufa and a military-industrial site in Penza as overnight Russian drone attacks killed at least three people in southeastern Ukraine.
Overnight Drone Attacks Kill Three in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia
Early Wednesday, Russian drone strikes struck the Dnipropetrovsk region, damaging five petrol stations and killing a woman, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported.
A separate assault late on Tuesday in Zaporizhzhia, the regional capital, killed two people, Ukrainian media said, while emergency services worked to account for additional casualties and infrastructure damage.
Kyiv Says Ufa Refinery and Penza Military Site Were Targeted
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s forces struck an oil refinery in Ufa in southern Russia and a strategic military-industrial facility in the Penza region.
Zelenskyy framed the strikes as a measured response to continued Russian attacks, saying Russia’s leadership must recognize the need for peace while signalling Ukraine’s ability to reach deep inside Russian territory.
Expansion and Objectives of the Long-Range Drone Campaign
Ukrainian officials described the operations as part of an expanded long-range drone campaign intended to disrupt Russian military logistics and industrial capacity far from the front line.
Reaching targets more than 1,300km from the fighting demonstrates a significant operational range and highlights Kyiv’s focus on striking facilities that support Russia’s sustained war effort rather than purely tactical battlefield targets.
Russian Air Defence Claims and Civilian Toll
Moscow said it shot down hundreds of Ukrainian drones in recent days, asserting that 419 unmanned aerial systems were intercepted, including over the Moscow region.
Russian authorities reported civilian casualties from those attacks, including the death of a six-month-old in the capital region, underscoring the conflict’s continuing impact on non-combatants on both sides.
Impact on Fuel Infrastructure and Economic Targets
The reported damage to petrol stations in Dnipropetrovsk and the strike on an oil refinery in Ufa suggest a deliberate targeting of fuel and logistical nodes that sustain military operations.
Disruption to such infrastructure can have cascading effects on civilian mobility, local economies and the ability of armed forces to move materiel, a factor both Kyiv and Moscow are likely weighing in their operational planning.
Arms Deals and Air Power Developments
Separately, Kyiv signed a contract with Sweden for 16 used Gripen E fighter jets, an agreement valued at 24.6 billion kronor, which Stockholm’s Saab confirmed.
Ukrainian officials expect the aircraft to be transferred at the start of 2027, a development that officials say will bolster Ukraine’s air capabilities as long-range strikes and air-defence pressures intensify.
Kremlin Stance on Negotiations and Territorial Claims
The Kremlin has reiterated that its negotiating position remains unchanged since 2024, with President Vladimir Putin reaffirming Russia’s aim to maintain control over four regions it annexed in 2022.
Russian officials rejected what they described as a new Ukrainian proposal to scale back fighting, signaling that diplomatic avenues remain constrained as military actions widen in scope.
The widening pattern of strikes and counterstrikes adds a new layer to a conflict that has persisted for more than four years, intensifying risks for civilians and infrastructure across a broader geographic area.