Ukraine strikes Azov Sea tanker and Sizran refinery overnight; one reported dead in Samara region as Moscow says it downed 349 drones

Coordinated overnight strikes

Ukrainian forces launched a large-scale drone assault on Russian military and economic targets overnight on July 11-12, hitting an oil tanker in the Azov Sea and a refinery in the Samara region. The attack on the Sizran refinery, over 800 kilometers from Ukraine's border, caused a large fire with thick black smoke visible in videos posted by local residents. The strike on the tanker occurred as the vessel was entering the Azov-Black Sea canal, according to Rostov region governor Iuri Sliusar.

The fire caused by the attack was extinguished, and the risk of an oil spill was eliminated because the vessel was empty.

Civilian casualties in Samara

Samara region governor Viaceslav Fedorișcev confirmed that the drone attacks damaged residential buildings and an industrial facility. One person was killed and three others were wounded, including a child. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defense forces destroyed 349 Ukrainian drones overnight across 15 regions and annexed Crimea, underscoring the scale of the operation.

One person was killed and three others were wounded in the drone attack in the Samara region, including a child.

Sizran refinery hit

The Sizran refinery, with a processing capacity of approximately 9 million tonnes of crude oil per year, supplies fuel to the Russian Air Force and military units in central and southern Russia according to Ukrainska Pravda. The Ukrainian military had not officially commented on the refinery strike at the time reports emerged. The facility is one of several energy installations targeted in recent weeks as Kyiv intensifies efforts to degrade Moscow's war logistics.

Azov Sea campaign intensifies

Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, released video footage purporting to show the destruction of 14 Russian vessels on the night of July 11-12. Ukrainian defense forces stated they targeted 10 oil tankers and 4 ferries used by Russia in the region. Brovdi claimed that between July 6-12, drone units struck around 90 Russian vessels, including tankers, tugboats, ferries, and cargo ships in the Azov Sea.

Between July 6-12, unmanned systems fighters hit 90 vessels: tanks, tugs, ferries, and cargo ships in the Azov Sea.

Crimea and fuel crisis pressure

Brovdi also reported that a strategic target in Crimea was hit overnight on July 12, describing it as the “Crimea switch,” with evidence promised soon. Ukraine asserts it has struck over 40 Russian oil tankers in recent months as part of a campaign to disrupt fuel supplies to Russian forces and isolate the occupied peninsula. The intensified strikes on refineries, including the Ilsky refinery in Krasnodar on July 9 and the Saratov refinery on July 8, have contributed to a fuel crisis in Russia, forcing production stoppages, export bans, and price increases across the country.