Ukraine said it struck two oil refineries deep inside Russia in attacks reported on the date of August 6, 2026, as long-range drone operations intensified on both sides of the war. President Volodymyr Zelensky identified the targets as the Slavneft-Yanos refinery in Yaroslavl and the Bashneft-Novoil facility in Bashkortostan.
Zelensky said the operation was intended to reduce oil revenue used by Moscow to finance the war. He placed Bashneft-Novoil about 1,300 kilometres from the Ukrainian border and Slavneft-Yanos almost 700 kilometres away. Authorities in Bashkortostan had not publicly commented on the reported August 5 attack at the time covered by the source.
Yaroslavl regional governor Mikhail Evraev described the overnight operation as the largest enemy drone attack on the region. He said air defences brought down 93 drones and falling debris struck storage tanks at the refinery, starting a fire. Four people were injured, according to the governor. BBC Verify authenticated images and videos showing large smoke plumes and at least four apparent fires at the site.
Ukraine also said its forces hit two military patrol boats and vessels it described as part of Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea. Those ships were presented by Kyiv as part of the system used to move sanctioned Russian oil. The supplied evidence did not independently establish the extent of damage to the boats or tankers.
The refinery strikes came amid a broader overnight exchange. Russia's military said it intercepted or destroyed 605 Ukrainian drones across several regions. It also said Russian forces attacked Ukrainian fuel, energy and transport facilities and drone storage locations. Those military claims were not independently verified in the supplied report.
Ukrainian officials reported at least 11 deaths in Russian attacks. Three people were killed in Balakliya, two at a railway station in Lozova and five in the Dnipropetrovsk region. One person died when two dry-cargo ships were struck in Odesa. Kherson lost electricity after damage to critical infrastructure, and internet monitoring group NetBlocks measured a sharp drop in regional connectivity.
The attacks showed how both countries were extending pressure beyond the largely static front line by targeting infrastructure that supports energy supplies, transport and military operations. No diplomatic breakthrough had emerged despite mediation efforts. Ukraine framed the refinery operation as leverage against Russia's war economy, while Russian officials emphasized the scale of their drone interceptions and continued their own attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. The evidence confirmed visible fires at one refinery, but did not provide an independent damage assessment for Bashneft-Novoil or quantify any effect on Russian fuel production and revenue.
