Officials report blaze in Russia’s Perm region as Ukraine signals expansion of long-range drone campaign targeting energy infrastructure.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A fire broke out at an industrial site in Russia’s Perm region on Wednesday following what Ukrainian officials described as a long-range drone strike, marking another incident in an expanding campaign targeting oil infrastructure deep inside Russian territory.
Regional authorities in Perm, located in the Ural Mountains more than 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine, confirmed that a drone struck an unspecified facility. Dmitry Makhonin said the impact triggered a fire but did not provide further details on the type of installation affected. Russian media reports indicated the site may have been an oil pumping station or storage complex, though those details were not officially confirmed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released video footage on the Telegram platform showing thick black smoke rising over a rural area near a developed zone. While he did not explicitly identify the location as Perm, Zelenskyy said Ukraine is extending the reach of its drone operations as part of a broader strategy aimed at limiting Russia’s capacity to sustain military operations by disrupting oil revenue.
“The straight-line distance is more than 1,500 kilometers. We will continue to increase these ranges,” Zelenskyy said, adding that he thanked Ukraine’s Security Service for the precision of recent strikes.
The footage could not be independently verified.
The reported strike follows a separate attack one day earlier on the Tuapse oil refinery and terminal along the Black Sea, the third such incident in less than two weeks. Local officials said that fire had been contained by Wednesday after prompting evacuations. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously warned the repeated strikes could carry “serious environmental consequences.”
The developments come as Ukraine intensifies efforts to target Russia’s energy sector, which plays a key role in funding military operations. According to assessments by the Institute for the Study of War, Kyiv is leveraging the geographic breadth of Russia and gaps in its air defense systems to conduct deeper and more frequent attacks on oil infrastructure and military assets.
The think tank said Ukrainian forces are likely to expand such operations, supported by increasing domestic drone production capacity.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its air defense systems intercepted 98 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Ukraine’s use of advanced drone technology has become a central element of the conflict, allowing it to offset Russia’s larger conventional military forces. Officials in Kyiv say domestic production has increased significantly, with Zelenskyy stating that output in some categories exceeds current needs by as much as 50%.
He added that Ukraine is engaging in defense cooperation discussions with countries in the Middle East, the Gulf, Europe, and the Caucasus, involving joint production of drones, missiles, and related technologies. Ukraine has also submitted proposals to the United States for expanded collaboration across air, land, and maritime defense systems.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continued aerial attacks on Ukrainian territory. Authorities in the Kharkiv region reported eight injuries following overnight strikes, while officials in the Sumy region said a 60-year-old woman died from carbon monoxide poisoning linked to an attack. In the southern Odesa region, infrastructure damage was reported in the city of Izmail, including impacts to a district hospital building.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 154 of 171 drones launched by Russia during the same period.