Ukraine has launched a large wave of drone attacks across Russia, striking two oil refineries and several defence-linked industrial facilities, including one approximately 1,450 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

The attacks took place overnight on September 25 and reached regions stretching from Belgorod near the Ukrainian border to Perm in the Ural Mountains. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that its air-defence forces intercepted 592 drones over Russian territory and the Black Sea.

That figure could not be independently verified. However, fires, damage and casualties were reported across several regions, showing that at least some of the drones penetrated Russian defences.

One of the most significant targets was the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery in Perm. Ukrainian military officials said the facility supplies fuel and lubricants to Russian forces and can process around 13 million metric tonnes of crude oil annually.

Russian authorities initially described the target only as an “industrial facility”. Perm Governor Dmitry Makhonin confirmed that one man had been killed and said emergency services were working at the site. Images from the area showed a large column of black smoke rising above the city, while satellite imagery also appeared to detect smoke from the industrial complex.

The distance of the Perm refinery from Ukraine makes the attack particularly significant. A successful strike nearly 1,500 kilometres inside Russia would demonstrate that Ukrainian long-range drones can reach industrial facilities far beyond the border regions that have become accustomed to regular attacks.

A second refinery was struck at Novoshakhtinsk in the southern Rostov region. Governor Yuri Slyusar said approximately 50 drones had been intercepted over the region but acknowledged that the refinery had been damaged and temporarily suspended operations. The plant processes around 7.5 million tonnes of crude oil annually and is an important supplier of petroleum products in southern Russia.

Ukraine said its forces also targeted radar installations near Novoshakhtinsk, including Gamma-S1 and Kasta-2E2 systems used to detect aircraft and incoming drones.

The overnight operation extended beyond Russia’s energy industry. Ukraine’s General Staff said drones struck the Iskra electronics plant in Ulyanovsk, approximately 800 kilometres from the border. The factory is part of the Almaz-Antey defence group and produces electronic components used in communications systems, missiles and air-defence equipment.

Authorities in Ulyanovsk said eight people, including a child, were injured and that both industrial and civilian infrastructure had been damaged.

Ukraine also claimed attacks against synthetic-rubber plants in the Tula and Voronezh regions. According to Kyiv, the facilities produce materials used in solid rocket propellant, including for Russia’s Iskander missile system. The specific damage to the plants has not been independently confirmed.

In Voronezh, regional authorities reported injuries and damage to apartment buildings, vehicles and industrial facilities. Fires were blamed on falling drone debris.

Another person was killed in Belgorod when a drone struck a truck. A passenger train travelling from Moscow to Tolyatti was also damaged in the Samara region. The train driver was injured, and rail traffic was temporarily suspended.

The attacks form part of Ukraine’s expanding campaign against Russia’s energy and military-industrial infrastructure. Kyiv argues that refineries, electronics factories and radar installations directly support the Russian war effort and are therefore legitimate military targets.

Russia has simultaneously continued its own aerial campaign against Ukrainian cities. An overnight drone strike on a residential building in central Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The scale and geographical spread of the latest Ukrainian operation suggest that the war’s long-range phase is intensifying. Russia retains a much larger missile and drone arsenal, but Ukraine is increasingly demonstrating that refineries and defence plants deep inside Russian territory are no longer beyond its reach.