KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces carried out a second strike on Russia’s large Ufa oil refinery within a single week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Wednesday.
Nearly daily long-range attacks targeting Russian energy infrastructure have triggered a fuel crisis inside Russia and put growing political pressure on the Kremlin, as its full-scale invasion of Ukraine now enters its fifth year.
According to Zelenskyy, the Ufa refinery ranks among Russia’s largest producers of lubricants and sits more than 1,000 kilometers — roughly 600 miles — from the Ukrainian border.
In a separate operation, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces also hit a facility manufacturing missile components in Russia’s Penza region, located southeast of Moscow and approximately 500 kilometers, or about 300 miles, from Ukraine.
Russian authorities did not confirm either strike, and the claims could not be independently verified. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its forces intercepted 179 Ukrainian drones across 16 Russian regions, as well as over annexed Crimea and the waters of the Azov and Black seas.
Penza Governor Oleg Melnichenko acknowledged only that debris from a downed drone had damaged a power line and landed on a building that was under construction.
For months, Ukraine has been using domestically developed and produced drones and missiles to pound Russian energy infrastructure, hitting refineries, fuel terminals, storage facilities, and pipeline pumping stations.
Fuel rationing has been introduced across numerous regions of Russia, which is one of the world’s top energy-producing nations.
Western officials say Ukraine has gained a military edge in recent months through the development of new weapons systems. Analysts and officials note that Ukrainian strikes on Russian supply lines behind the front have slowed the Russian army’s battlefield momentum.
“Russians now have great problems with delivering infantry to the front line and supplying it,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Wednesday.
Ukraine has also emerged as a supplier of military technology — particularly drones — that other nations are seeking to acquire.
With European leaders increasingly concerned about Russia’s territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine, many have characterized Kyiv as a critical line of defense against further Russian expansion.
“Ukraine is becoming a security provider for the whole of Europe,” said Swedish Defense Minister Paul Jonsson, speaking in Kyiv where he met with Fedorov.
On Tuesday, Ukraine and Sweden signed an agreement for Sweden to supply Kyiv with Gripen fighter jets. Fedorov said the aircraft will help Ukraine intercept Russian planes carrying heavy glide bombs.
Jonsson said European nations want Ukraine integrated into Euro-Atlantic defense structures, though the question of Ukrainian NATO membership remains contentious and is expected to be on the agenda at an alliance summit in Turkey next week.
“The sooner it happens, the better it is for you, the better it is for our security and prosperity as well,” Jonsson said at a press conference.
Ukraine is also pursuing membership in the European Union, a process that could take years. Zelenskyy traveled to Ireland on Wednesday — the current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency.
“Ukraine proves every day that it deserves to be an equal partner of our common European home. And we hope that during Ireland’s presidency of the EU Council, we will be able to achieve tangible progress on the path to membership and open all negotiations clusters,” Zelenskyy said.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory continued Wednesday, with three civilians reported dead. A Russian drone struck a bus in the southern Kherson region, killing two people and wounding six others, according to regional head Oleksandr Prokudin.
In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, a 43-year-old woman was killed and three others were injured — including a 35-year-old pregnant woman — when Russia attacked five gas stations overnight, regional authorities reported. Russian forces have been increasingly targeting Ukrainian fuel stations in recent weeks.
