April 2026 became another month in the systematic campaign of attacks on Russia’s military and economic infrastructure by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Record ranges were achieved in drone attacks, from temporarily occupied Crimea to Perm, Ufa, Orsk, and Chelyabinsk – that is, the Urals, historically regarded as the deep rear of the Russian Federation.
Image: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted, since the beginning of the year Russia has lost at least 7 billion USD directly as a result of Ukrainian sanctions against the Russian oil industry.
“According to the results for April this year, our long-range ‘sanctions’ reached a new level in three components: reducing profits from Russian oil, the range, and the intensity of the ‘sanctions.’ It is important not only to reach the facility itself, as defined by the combat mission, but also to extend the facility’s downtime or at least significantly reduce its operations,” Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense reports which refineries, port terminals, Black Sea Fleet warships, drone and aircraft manufacturing enterprises became targets of attacks last month, as well as other losses suffered by the Russian Federation.
Oil Refineries
During the April campaign, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked at least 14 such facilities, from oil refineries on the Volga and in the Urals to port terminals on the Baltic and Black Seas.
Fire at the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Ufa, Bashkortostan, about 1,400 km from Ukraine’s borders
Bashneft-Novoil is one of Russia’s largest producers of high-quality lubricants, including marine, hydraulic, and engine oils. Its initial processing capacity was 7 million metric tons of crude oil per year. The enterprise meets the needs of the Russian army and navy.
The Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery burned in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, about 800 km from Ukraine’s borders
As a result of the attack on the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery, a large-scale fire broke out. The AVT-6 and AVT-1 primary oil processing units were damaged, as was Unit 19/6, which is used to produce petroleum bitumen. The AVT-2 processing unit and the LCh-24-7 diesel hydrotreating unit were taken out of service.
The plant, with a capacity of 17 million metric tons per year, meets almost 30% of Russia’s total gasoline consumption and supplies aviation fuel and diesel fuel to the military and the Moscow region.
Three attacks on the Tuapse refinery, Krasnodar Krai, about 1,500 km from Ukraine’s borders
The Tuapse refinery was attacked on April 16, 20, and 28, the highest frequency among all targets last month.
During the first attack, the AVT-12 processing unit and RVS-10000 tanks were damaged and caught fire. After the second attack, the destruction of 24 tanks and damage to four others were confirmed. After the third attack, a fire broke out again.
The plant’s capacity is 12 million metric tons per year, or 4.4% of Russia’s total refining capacity. It produces a wide range of Euro 5-standard petroleum products, including fuel for the military.
The Novokuibyshevsk refinery, Samara Oblast, about 1,000 km from Ukraine’s borders
To strike the Novokuibyshevsk refinery, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out an attack over a distance of about 1,000 km. Explosions were heard at the strategic plant, which has a capacity of 8.8 million tonnes per year, followed by a fire.
The plant produces more than 20 types of petroleum products and meets a significant share of the needs of the Russian military. Details of the attack are currently being analyzed.
Massive attack on the Syzran refinery, Samara Oblast, about 900 km from Ukraine’s borders
The Syzran refinery was attacked as part of a coordinated massive strike. A fire broke out at the plant.
This refinery is directly involved in supplying the Russian Armed Forces.
Damaged distillation unit at the Yaroslavl refinery, Yaroslavl Oblast, about 750 km from Ukraine’s borders
As a result of the attack, a fire broke out at the Yaroslavl refinery. Damage to a vacuum crude oil distillation unit was confirmed.
This is one of the key plants in Russian industry, with a processing capacity of 15 million metric tons per year. It produces gasoline, diesel fuel, and aviation fuel, which are of key importance for Russian military logistics.
Orsknefteorgsintez refinery, Orsk, Orenburg Oblast, about 1,500 km from Ukraine’s borders
After the attack on the Orsknefteorgsintez refinery, a fire broke out at the enterprise.
This is a plant with a processing capacity of 6.6 million tonnes per year, producing more than 30 types of petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel fuel, and aviation kerosene. It is directly involved in supplying the Russian army.
SBU attack on the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery in Perm, Perm Krai, about 1,500 km from Ukraine’s borders
The attack on the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery was carried out by drones operated by the Alpha Special Operations Center of the Security Service of Ukraine.
Destruction at the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery
The AVT-4 unit, a key primary crude oil processing unit, was damaged. The vacuum and atmospheric rectification columns caught fire, effectively disabling the unit. The Perm linear production and dispatch station, which supplies crude oil to the same refinery, was also hit again.
With a throughput capacity of 13 million metric tons per year, it is one of the largest refineries in Russia and supplies fuel to both the civilian sector and the military.
Port Terminals and Transport Infrastructure
The Ukrainians attacked key Russian oil hubs that provide both export revenues for the state budget and direct support for the needs of the armed forces.
The following port terminals and transport infrastructure were hit:
- Primorsk port, Leningrad Oblast, about 850 km from Ukraine’s borders: a fire and damage to three RVSP-20000 tanks with a total capacity of 60,000 m³ were confirmed;
- Ust-Luga oil terminal, Leningrad Oblast, about 900 km from Ukraine’s borders: a fire and damage to three Transneft-Baltika tanks were confirmed;
- RPK-Vysotsk Lukoil-2 oil terminal, Leningrad Oblast, about 950 km from Ukraine’s borders: a fire was confirmed;
- Tikhoretsk oil pumping station, Krasnodar Krai, about 300 km from Ukraine’s borders: a fire was confirmed;
- Sheskharis oil terminal, Novorossiysk, about 420 km from Ukraine’s borders: a large fire broke out at a key crude oil transshipment hub on the Black Sea.
In turn, oil depots in Feodosia and Hvardiiske, as well as oil pumping stations in Crimea and Krasnodar Krai, were hit as elements of tactical fuel supply for Russian military groupings.
First Strike on Drilling Platforms in the Caspian Sea
On April 10, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked offshore oil production infrastructure for the first time.
The ice-resistant fixed platforms LSP-2 at the Greifer field and LSP-1 at the Korchagin field were damaged. The facilities are located about 1,000 km from the front line.
Attack on the Tanker Marquise in the Black Sea
On April 29, a Ukrainian Navy unit attacked the sanctioned tanker/chemical carrier Marquise in the Black Sea, 210 km from Tuapse. Two kamikaze-type naval drones struck the stern in the area of the propulsion and steering system and the engine room (Ukraine carried out drone attack on Marquise tanker from Russia’s Shadow Fleet).
Attacks on Russia’s Military-Industrial Complex
In April, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked two factories on Russian territory.
- Strela plant in Suzemka, Bryansk Oblast
The enterprise was attacked on April 1. It produces components for cruise missiles and has completed more than 120 state contracts for the Russian defense industry. The plant is under Ukrainian sanctions.
- Attack on the Atlant Aero plant in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast
On April 19, the Ukrainian Navy carried out a precision strike with RK-360MC Neptune missiles against Atlant Aero’s production facilities.
The plant carries out the full cycle of design, production, and testing of Molniya reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicles, and also produces components for the Orion unmanned aerial vehicle.
Attacks on the Black Sea Fleet
April saw further setbacks for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and the Kerch Strait.
On April 5, two unmanned aerial vehicles attacked the Project 11356R missile frigate Admiral Grigorovich, known to NATO as Krivak IV, a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles. The extent of the damage is currently being assessed.
On April 18, the Alpha Special Operations Center of the SBU and a main unit of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense disabled two Project 775/M landing ships, known to NATO as Ropucha/Ropucha II: RFS Yamal (156)/BDK-67 and RFS Azov (151)/BDK-54, as well as a third vessel of an unspecified project. Total losses exceed 150 million USD (Security Service of Ukraine Attacks Three Russian Warships in Crimea).
The same ships were attacked again by the SBU on April 20 and 26.
On April 26, the Alpha Special Operations Center of the SBU simultaneously attacked the large landing ships RFS Yamal (156)/BDK-67 and RFS Nikolai Filchenkov (152), the signals intelligence ship RFS Ivan Khurs, the Black Sea Fleet’s Lukomka training center, the Headquarters of Radio-Technical Intelligence of the Air and Missile Defense Forces, the MR-10M1 Mys M1 coastal radar, and a MiG-31 aircraft at Belbek air base, together with part of the airfield’s technical and operational section (SBU attacks a number of key military targets in Crimea).
On April 22, damage was confirmed to the superstructure of a Project 22460 patrol ship of the Coast Guard of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in Sevastopol.
On April 30, the Ukrainian Navy destroyed one Project 21980 Grachonok small patrol/anti-sabotage boat in the area of the Kerch Strait. Units of this type are operated by both the Black Sea Fleet and the National Guard of the Russian Federation. It also destroyed a Project 12200 Sobol patrol boat belonging to the Coast Guard of the Border Service of Russia’s FSB (Ukrainians attacked two patrol boats near the Crimean Bridge).
Attack on the Aerospace Forces
On April 25, at Shagol airfield in Chelyabinsk Oblast, the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit two Su-57 multirole aircraft, one Su-34 bomber, and another unidentified aircraft. This was one of the attacks carried out at the greatest distance from Ukraine’s borders to date, about 1,700 km (Ukrainian Drones Hit Several of Russia’s Latest Su-57 and Su-34 Aircraft).
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense recalls that since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have increased the range of their attacks on Russia’s deep rear by more than 2.5 times.
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 4, 2026