Ukraine struck Russia’s biggest oil terminal in its largest drone operation in months, setting fire to two tankers and forcing a suspension of crude loadings on Saturday, according to France 24.
The facility, owned by Russian oil company Bashneft, is located around 1,400 kilometres from the front line.
According to The New York Post, one of the tankers that caught fire could carry up to 700,000 barrels of oil. The fires were later put out, but it remains unclear if loading operations have resumed.
As per France 24, the head of Russia’s Bashkortostan region, Radiy Khabirov, said one drone struck the plant while another was shot down. “There were no casualties or injuries. The production site sustained minor damage, and a fire broke out, which is currently being extinguished,” he wrote on Telegram.
Videos posted on social media appeared to show a drone drifting towards the facility before exploding in a ball of flames, sending a cloud of smoke into the sky, as per France 24.
The strike is part of Ukraine’s wider campaign targeting Russian refineries to disrupt Moscow’s war funding. Over the summer, a series of such attacks reduced refining capacity at key plants and pushed up fuel prices.
US President Donald Trump urged NATO allies on Saturday to stop buying Russian oil, calling it necessary to pressure Moscow to end the conflict. Despite sanctions, Turkey, Hungary, and Slovakia continue to import Russian oil.
The Bashneft Ufa refinery, described by the Kremlin in 2016 as “one of the largest in the country,” produces over 150 different petroleum products, France 24 reported.