Ukraine intensifies deep strikes on Russian oil and military sites, triggering fuel crisis as Kyiv hit by evening explosion
Ukrainian forces struck a major refinery in Ufa for the second time and a missile component plant in Penza, President Zelensky claimed on Wednesday, while an evening explosion sparked a fire in central Kyiv after Zelensky warned of an impending large-scale Russian attack.
Explosion in Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at a press conference in Dublin on Wednesday afternoon, warned that Russia was preparing a new "large-scale" attack. Hours later, a fire broke out in central Kyiv following a detonation. Details on damage and casualties were not immediately available.
Strikes deep inside Russia
Overnight, Ukrainian special units again launched long-range drones against Russian infrastructure. The Unmanned Systems Forces operate drones with ranges exceeding 2 000 km in mobile operations that leave no trace. On Wednesday Ukraine claimed a second strike on a major oil refinery in Ufa, over 1 300 km from the front, and a hit on a military plant in the Penza region. The Penza site, affiliated with the Roscosmos space agency, produces sensors for Russian missiles. Zelensky shared impact images and described the operations as a "totally just response" to Moscow's strikes on Ukrainian territory. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said eleven oil refineries had been hit across June.
Fuel shortage and political pressure
Ukraine's systematic targeting of energy sites has reached as far as Tyumen in Siberia, more than 1 900 km away. The loss of refining capacity is creating fuel shortages inside Russia. Moscow has begun buying gasoline from India to compensate, and the shortages are now triggering a political crisis for President Vladimir Putin. In Crimea, Ukrainian forces are methodically bombing road and rail supply routes in the north, forcing Russian forces to deploy pontoon bridges. If those crossings are severed, the peninsula will rely solely on the Kerch bridge to the east.
Russian bombardment slows
An AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force data showed Russian long-range drone and missile launches fell in June to 5 749, down 7.3 % from 6 200 in May. The decline comes as Ukraine has intensified its own deep strikes against Russia.
- 2026-05-01
- 6200 launches
- 2026-06-01
- 5749 launches
- President Zelensky warns in Dublin that Russia is preparing a new large-scale attack.
- An explosion and fire break out in central Kyiv.
- Ukraine claims a second strike on Ufa refinery and a hit on a Penza military plant, sharing impact images.
International support
European officials reiterated their backing for Kyiv. Denmark's government stressed that "the defence of Europe begins in Ukraine" and pledged to keep working with allies to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position.
