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Ukraine launches long-range drone strike on major Russian oil refinery in Volgograd

By patricklewis // 2025-11-08

• Ukraine confirmed it carried out a long-range drone strike on Russia's largest oil refinery in the Volgograd region, marking the second attack on the facility in less than three months.
• The strike targeted one of Russia's key energy assets, which processes over 15 million tons of crude oil annually and plays a major role in fueling both civilian and military operations.
• Ukraine said the operation was part of its broader campaign to weaken Russia's energy infrastructure, while Russian officials acknowledged a drone-caused fire but did not confirm the refinery strike.
• Both countries have intensified cross-border drone warfare, with Ukraine attacking fuel depots and drone bases in Crimea and Donetsk, while Russia launched 135 retaliatory drones that injured civilians and disrupted rail transport in eastern Ukraine.
• The escalation underscores a new phase of the war as diplomatic efforts by the U.S. and Europe fail to change the battlefield dynamics, with both sides increasingly targeting critical energy and infrastructure sites deep behind enemy lines.

Ukraine confirmed Thursday, Nov. 6, that it carried out a long-range drone strike on Russia's largest oil refinery in the Southern Federal District, marking the second attack on the facility in less than three months. The refinery, located in the Volgograd region, processes more than 15 million tons of crude oil annually—about 5.6 percent of Russia's total refining capacity. The Ukrainian general staff said the strike, conducted the previous day, was part of a broader effort to target Russia's energy infrastructure and undermine its wartime economy. Local Russian officials acknowledged a fire caused by drones at an industrial site but did not name the facility or confirm it was the Volgograd refinery. The refinery is regarded as one of Russia's most strategic energy assets, supplying lubricants and refined fuel products across the southern regions and to the Black Sea. Its temporary shutdown could disrupt supply chains supporting both civilian consumption and Russian military operations. The attack comes amid escalating exchanges of strikes between Ukraine and Russia, with both sides increasingly targeting energy infrastructure. Kyiv's drone campaign aims to diminish Moscow's oil export revenues and weaken its military logistics, while Russia has intensified missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's power grid in an attempt to cripple energy supplies as winter approaches. President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Ukrainian energy and emergency service workers for their continued efforts to restore damaged power facilities following repeated Russian bombardments. "Practically every day, our power engineers, repair brigades and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are carrying out restorations on-site after attacks," Zelensky said. "Hits keep occurring across various points, especially near the Russian border and close to the front."

Both sides escalate cross-border drone warfare as strikes hit energy sites and civilians

Ukraine's general staff reported that additional drone operations struck three fuel and lubricant depots in Russian-occupied Crimea and destroyed a Shahed drone storage and assembly base in the occupied Donetsk region. Officials described these coordinated strikes as part of Kyiv's broader effort to disrupt Russian supply lines and weaken its drone capabilities. In Russia's Kostroma region, northeast of Moscow, Governor Sergei Sitnikov confirmed that unidentified energy infrastructure was hit by Ukrainian drones, sparking a fire but causing no casualties or power outages. Unconfirmed reports indicated that the target may have been a hydroelectric power plant—one of the country's largest. The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 75 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions and annexed Crimea. Despite those claims, multiple fires were reported at energy and oil facilities across western Russia. Russia launched 135 drones of its own overnight in retaliation, according to Ukraine's air force. Regional authorities said eight people were injured in the city of Kamianske in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, where drone strikes damaged buildings and set off fires. Ukraine's national railway company, Ukrzaliznytsia, reported that Russian drone attacks disrupted rail traffic across the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, forcing passenger and freight trains to be rerouted. As diplomatic efforts led by the U.S. and European allies fail to shift the military balance, both Kyiv and Moscow have accelerated the use of drones and long-range weapons—signaling a new phase in the nearly four-year conflict defined by deep strikes far beyond the front lines. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the drone incursions by Ukraine into Russia can be attributed to several strategic and geopolitical factors, rooted in the ongoing conflict between the two nations. Ukraine's drone incursions into Russian territory are a strategic response to Russia's invasion, allowing Ukraine to inflict damage on Russian forces, gather valuable intelligence and demonstrate its resolve in the face of overwhelming odds. Watch the video below about Ukraine launching massive drone attacks. This video is from the Maverick News channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: YourNews.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com

Russia NATO Ukraine national security violence big government dangerous WWIII weapons tech Volodymyr Zelensky Kyiv Russian forces oil refinery miliary tech Volgograd drone incursions