Ukraine Pounds Russian Oil Refineries—Smoke, Fire, and Blackouts

Sun Sep 06 2026 15:53:48 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Ukraine’s latest strikes hit two deep‑Russia refineries, sparking fires and worsening blackouts across the region.

Ukraine reported strikes on Bashneft‑Novoil and Slavneft‑Yanos, aiming to curb Russia’s oil revenue used to fuel the war. The attacks left the Slavneft‑Yanos refinery ablaze, injuring several workers, while patrol boats targeted Russian tankers in the Black Sea. Local officials confirmed injuries and fires, and the Kherson region suffered a full blackout. Russia cited attacks on fuel, energy and transport infrastructure and said drones were intercepted. The broader conflict sees escalating bombing and drone strikes, with rising casualties on both sides.

In a bold move, Ukraine said it struck two Russian oil refineries deep inside enemy territory: Bashneft‑Novoil in Bashkortostan, about 1,300km from the Ukrainian border, and Slavneft‑Yanos in the Yaroslavl region, roughly 700km away.

The attacks were aimed at cutting off the revenue that Moscow uses to finance its war, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Bashneft‑Novoil site was reportedly hit by Ukrainian patrol boats and shadow vessels in the Black Sea, targeting Russian tankers that illegally export sanctioned oil.

Slavneft‑Yanos erupted in flames, with high smoke plumes visible for miles. Yaroslavl governor Mikhail Evraev confirmed the fire and said four people were injured. Images and videos on social media show at least four fires at the site.

Meanwhile, Ugandan officials reported that at least 11 people were killed in Russian attacks and that the southern city of Kherson went into a total blackout after a “critical infrastructure facility” was hit.

Russia said it targeted fuel, energy and transport facilities, and its military claimed to have intercepted or shot down 605 Ukrainian drones overnight over several regions.