Ukraine launched two long-range military strikes against Russia on Wednesday, hitting another oil refinery and a military facility, continuing the trend of its recent military success with such weapons.
Russia’s Ufa oil refinery and an aerospace and defense facility where missile components are built were hit by Ukrainian forces. Both targets are hundreds of miles from the front lines of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The attack comes a day after Ukraine hit the Dubna Space Communications Center, Russia’s largest space and satellite communications center. Wednesday’s strike on the Ufa oil refinery marks the latest military operation conducted by Ukraine using long-range weapons that have damaged Russian oil refineries and hit a section of the country’s energy infrastructure.
Both targets were hundreds of miles away from the “front line” of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The Ufa oil refinery, located in Bashkortostan, Russia, is approximately 800 miles away, while the military base in Russia’s Penza Oblast is located over 750 miles from Kyiv, Ukraine, and nearly 380 miles from Moscow, Russia. Ufa oil refinery is a critical energy hub for the country, while the military facility at the Scientific Research Institute of Physical Measurements in the Penza Oblast manufactures weapons components vital to Russia’s military operations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted about Wednesday’s strikes on X, mentioning the efficiency of his country’s recent long-range strike campaign and claiming both were “just” retaliatory responses for all the pain and attacks Russia has launched against Ukraine during the war.
“For the second time, our sanctions in response to Russia’s prolongation of the war have reached the oil refinery in Ufa, one of Russia’s largest producers of lubricants,” said Zelensky. “The distance is more than 1,300 kilometers from the front line.”
“Also in the Penza region, our weapons reached a strategic facility of Russia’s military-industrial complex involved in developing and manufacturing components for missile weaponry that the occupiers use to strike our cities and communities,” he added. “The distance to the target is about 600 kilometers from the front line.”
And, after justifying the strikes, he called for peace between the two countries and declared that Russia must end the war.
ADMITTING UKRAINE DIFFICULTY, PUTIN REJECTS PEACE AND PLEDGES ‘NOVOROSSIYA’ IMPERIUM
“Every day, our plan for imposing Ukrainian long-range sanctions is being implemented,” said Zelensky. “This is an entirely just response to everything Russia is doing against us. Peace is needed, and this is exactly what Russia’s leadership must realize. Russia must end its war. And Russia’s leadership has every opportunity to do so. I thank every Ukrainian warrior who ensures our long-range accuracy.”
Ukraine’s recent strikes have taken their toll on Russia. The attacks on Russia’s energy sector have created economic and quality-of-life chaos in the country, with fuel shortages reportedly causing major disruptions. Russian President Vladimir Putin, typically stoic when it comes to questions about Russian vulnerabilities, acknowledged the difficulty Ukraine’s recent strikes have caused.
“As for strikes against critical infrastructure in general, and energy infrastructure in particular, of course these attacks on our infrastructure facilities create problems, that’s obvious,” noted Putin in an interview from Sunday.