The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has confirmed that Ukrainian drones struck the Ryazan Oil Refinery in Russia during the night of February 23-24. The attack, carried out by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) in coordination with Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, targeted a key Russian energy facility believed to be supplying fuel to the Russian military.
Explosions and fire reported at Ryazan refinery
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, five explosions were recorded in the vicinity of the Ryazan refinery in Ryazan Oblast. The strike resulted in a fire at the ELOU AT-6 primary oil refining unit, with Ukrainian authorities working to confirm the full extent of the damage.
This marks the second confirmed attack on the Ryazan refinery in just over a month, following a previous drone strike on January 24 that also caused a fire. Russian social media channels corroborated reports of the latest attack, sharing unverified footage of the strikes.
RELATED CONTENT: Ukraine can’t win with drones alone, but what if they don’t have to?
Ukrainian UAVs Target Oil Depot in Tula Region
In addition to the Ryazan refinery strike, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces targeted an oil depot in the Tula region on January 23. A fire broke out in the area of the 8 March plant in the village of Brusyansky, Uzlovsky district, according to reports from the head of the Center for Occupation Studies, Petro Andriushchenko. A video of the attack circulated online, adding visual confirmation of the strike.
Russian officials reported that two Ukrainian UAS were downed in the area, though the extent of the resulting damage remains unclear. Andriushchenko noted that Ukrainian drones continue to penetrate Russian air defenses, striking deep into Russian-controlled territory.
“This marks the first relatively large-scale attack of our UAVs on Russian territory since the night of February 19-20,” Andriushchenko wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine has increasingly relied on long-range drone strikes to target Russian energy infrastructure, a move aimed at disrupting Moscow’s logistics and supply chains. These attacks come as Kyiv seeks to weaken Russia’s war effort by hitting key military and economic assets far beyond the front lines.
Post Image Credit: Reporting From Ukraine
