‘War returns to where it came from,’ Zelensky says after Ukraine strikes Russian fuel depot 700 km from border

Deep strikes inside Russia

On Sunday morning, Ukrainian drones hit a fuel storage site in Russia’s Yaroslavl Oblast, over 700 kilometers from the border, setting off a large fire. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had targeted a facility critical to Russia’s fuel reserves. The attack marks one of the deepest Ukrainian strikes since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Russia confirms fire at fuel depot

Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Yevraev confirmed the incident on Telegram, saying most drones were intercepted but that some hit industrial buildings where fuels are kept.

“Most of the drones were shot down, but some hit industrial facilities where fuels are stored. Special units are extinguishing the fire.”

He added that no one was injured. Meanwhile, the SBU also struck the Azot chemical plant in Tula Oblast, near Moscow, which Zelensky called a strategic enterprise for producing explosives.

Zelensky calls it ‘sanctions’ for the war

Zelensky framed the attacks as a logical consequence of Russia’s refusal to stop its war. “It is only logical that the war returns to where it came from,” he wrote, describing the operations as “sanctions” on the aggressor.

“More than 700 kilometers from our state border, in Russia’s Yaroslavl Oblast, SBU operatives hit an oil facility that was important for the aggressor state’s reserves.”

He added that Ukraine would continue to target Russian infrastructure that supports the war. He characterized the intensifying drone campaign as ‘sanctions’ for Moscow’s continued refusal to end the invasion launched in February 2022.

Wider impact on aviation and regions

Beyond the two confirmed strikes, Zelensky said the latest wave of Ukrainian attacks disrupted operations at six Russian airports and prompted 28 Russian regions to declare a state of emergency. The Ukrainian military has increasingly employed long-range drones to hit logistics and energy targets deep inside Russian territory, aided by Western support.

Drone campaign deepens

Ukraine has regularly used long-range drones to attack Russian energy and logistics infrastructure since the second year of the war, causing fires and disruptions. The invasion, ordered by President Vladimir Putin in February 2022, has become the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II, with estimates of hundreds of thousands of military casualties and thousands of civilian dead. Sunday’s strikes demonstrate Kyiv’s continued ability to reach targets far beyond the front lines, even as Russia’s air defenses intercept the majority of incoming drones.