MOSCOW, July 7 — Ukraine has sustained a campaign of long-range drone strikes against Russian oil refineries since early 2024, a strategy that Ukrainian defense officials have described as aimed at disrupting fuel supplies for the Russian military and reducing revenue from oil exports. The record shows that the first major strike of this intensified phase occurred on January 25, 2024, targeting the Tuapse refinery in Krasnodar Krai. According to available reports, that attack halted operations at the facility for several weeks.
On March 13, 2024, a strike hit the Ryazan refinery, causing a major fire. On May 9, 2024, the Omsk refinery was struck.
The Omsk strike is particularly notable for its distance. The facility is located approximately 2,800 kilometers from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Previous Ukrainian drone operations had relied on domestically produced long-range drones such as the UJ-22 Airborne and the Liutyi, or Fury, drone, both of which have ranges of up to 800 to 1,000 kilometers.
The distance of the Omsk strike suggests, according to analysts, either the deployment of a new longer-range drone or a different method of launch. Ukrainian defense sources have confirmed that the Security Service of Ukraine, the SBU, has been involved in several of these operations.
The campaign represents a systematic effort to pressure the Russian economy, which depends heavily on revenues from oil and gas.
Strategic calculus behind the strikes
The logic of the campaign, as outlined by Ukrainian officials in public statements, is twofold. First, reducing Russia’s ability to refine crude oil into fuel directly hampers the logistical support for Russian military operations. Second, targeting refineries that supply both domestic consumption and export markets is intended to cut into the state budget’s principal source of hard currency.
Russian authorities have acknowledged the attacks but have generally downplayed their long-term impact on fuel production and export capacity. However, the repeated strikes on facilities across a wide geographic area — from the Black Sea coast at Tuapse to the Siberian city of Omsk — indicate that Ukrainian drone capabilities have expanded significantly in both range and operational tempo since the start of 2024.
The Tuapse refinery, operated by Rosneft, is a major export-oriented facility on the Black Sea. Its shutdown for weeks following the January strike disrupted fuel oil and naphtha shipments. The Ryazan refinery, also owned by Rosneft, is one of the largest refineries in central Russia and supplies fuel to the Moscow region.
Technical developments and implications
The UJ-22 Airborne, developed by Ukrjet, is a small turboprop drone capable of carrying a warhead of up to 20 kilograms over distances of roughly 800 kilometers. The Liutyi, a larger delta-wing design, has been described by Ukrainian sources as having a range approaching 1,000 kilometers. Both platforms rely on satellite navigation and inertial guidance to reach targets deep inside Russian territory.
The Omsk strike, at nearly three times the published range of these drones, raises questions that have not been publicly resolved. Ukrainian officials have not disclosed whether a new airframe, a ground-launched cruise missile, or a launch from within Russian territory was used.
The ambiguity itself serves a tactical purpose, forcing Russian air defense planners to defend against a wider range of possible threats. The SBU’s direct involvement in several of these strikes aligns with Ukraine’s broader doctrine of conducting operations beyond the front lines using special services and domestically produced weapons systems, rather than relying exclusively on Western-supplied long-range munitions.
What to watch next
The trajectory of the campaign will depend on several factors. Ukrainian industrial capacity to produce long-range drones at scale will determine the frequency of strikes. Russian efforts to harden refinery defenses and deploy additional electronic warfare systems near critical energy infrastructure will shape the effectiveness of future attacks.
The economic dimension remains central. Global oil prices and the ability of Russian refineries to repair damage quickly will influence whether the strikes achieve their stated goal of reducing Russian budget revenues.
The Omsk strike, in particular, demonstrated a reach that, if sustained, would bring virtually any major Russian refinery within range of Ukrainian attack.
