KYIV -- Ukraine struck at least two major oil refineries inside Russia— including one 1,400 kilometers from the front lines -- while Romania reported a violation of its airspace by a Russian drone, days after fellow NATO member Poland said similar projectiles struck its territory.
Officials in the Bashkortostan region deep inside Russia on September 13 said a fire broke out at one of the country's largest oil facilities near the city of Ufa when debris from two Ukrainian drones fell on the site.
"Both downed drones fell on the territory of the enterprise," Radiy Khabirov, head of Russia's Bashkortostan region, wrote on Telegram.
"In the first case, a small fire broke out and was quickly extinguished. In the second, the supply of technical water was interrupted," he said, adding that the facility continued to operate.
Ufa's airport said it temporarily suspended activity following the attack.
Three hours later, Aleksandr Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region in Russia's northwest, said the massive Kirishi oil refinery was also hit by falling debris from Ukrainian drones, sparking a fire early on September 14.
Drozdenko said there were no injuries at the refinery, which was previously hit by Ukrainian drones in March 2024, disrupting around half of its output at the time.
Russian officials also said a Ukrainian drone strike hit an "industrial enterprise" in the Perm region near the Ural Mountains, more than 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Details were not immediately available.
Reuters reported that Ukrainian strikes as of the end of August had disabled 17 percent of the Russian oil refining industry, threatening to intensify fuel shortages and cause a major hit to the Kremlin's budget from lost revenue.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on infrastructure related to the Kremlin's war effort in response to Russia's continued assaults on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure.
"We are doing everything possible on our side to reduce Russia’s ability to fight," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
"Our deep strikes will intensify -- financing and tasks for this are already in place. Diplomats are also actively working with all partners to reduce their trade ties with Russia. And we are coordinating our actions."
The remarks come as US President Donald Trump on September 13 urged all NATO members to halt their purchases of Russian oil, saying such a move would help end the deadly conflict in Ukraine.
Trump also proposed that NATO countries impose secondary tariffs of 50-100 percent on China for its purchases of Russian petroleum.
Meanwhile, Romania's Defense Ministry said the NATO nation's airspace had been violated by a drone during a Russian attack on infrastructure in Ukraine.
Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu told RFE/RL the drone eventually exited Romanian airspace and entered Ukrainian territory. He said two Romanian F-16 jets initially scrambled following the alert. The planes were later replaced by two German Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
On September 10, at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, severely raising tensions between NATO and Moscow. On September 12, the Western military alliance said it launched Eastern Sentry, a mission to bolster defenses of allied countries near Russia.
Late on September 13, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that Polish and other air resources were back in action.
"Due to the threat of Russian drones operating over Ukraine near the Polish border, a preventive operation of the air forces, both Polish and allied, has begun. Ground-based air defense systems have reached a state of highest readiness," he wrote.
The latest action comes after Ukraine experienced a relatively calm night on September 12-13 compared with recent days, although Russian forces still carried out limited attacks with drones and guided bombs.
The Ukrainian military said the heaviest ground fighting over the previous 24 hours took place on the Pokrovsk front in the Donetsk region, where 49 clashes occurred.
On September 12, a Russian drone and missile strike killed three and injured five near Sumy in northern Ukraine, according to the regional governor.
Despite ongoing shelling and attempts to capture villages near the border, Zelenskyy said Russian forces in the area have suffered heavy losses and "lost [their] offensive capability."
(RFE/RL/NS)
Also Read: