Ukraine intensifies strikes on Russian energy and command targets, hits Saratov and Ryazan refineries in week-long campaign

Ukraine's Armed Forces have carried out a sustained campaign of deep strikes against Russian energy infrastructure and military command nodes over the past week, hitting two major oil refineries, fuel depots, drone launch sites and command posts across multiple regions, the General Staff in Kyiv reported.

The series of attacks, which began on 4 September and continued through 11 September, marks one of the most concentrated efforts by Ukraine to degrade Russia's capacity to fuel its invasion and coordinate drone and missile strikes.

Fuel depots and refineries

On 4 September, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian fuel depot, a drone launch site and several command posts in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Bryansk and Crimea, according to the General Staff. Two days later, on 6 September, the defence forces hit the Ryazan oil refinery – one of Russia's largest – along with an airfield and air defence assets, the General Staff said in its daily update.

The most recent strike, on 11 September, targeted an oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region, with video released by Ukrainian sources showing large explosions at the facility, Ukrainska Pravda reported. The Saratov refinery, like Ryazan, is part of Russia's western fuel supply chain that feeds the military's logistical network in southern and central Russia.

Drone and command infrastructure

On 8 September, Ukrainian forces struck an attack drone launch site and additional command posts, marking a pattern of targeting the Russian military's ability to conduct UAV operations – particularly Shahed-type drones used for long-range strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, according to the General Staff.

Two days later, on 10 September, the strikes expanded to include UAV ground control stations and other unspecified military targets inside Russia and in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, stated the General Staff. These hits directly affect the Russian ability to control reconnaissance and attack drones over Ukrainian positions.

Battlefield intensity

On the front line, the General Staff reported 263 combat clashes on 9 September alone, indicating continued high intensity of fighting across the eastern and southern fronts, especially in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia sectors, as noted in the daily situation report. The high number of engagements suggests Russia is pressing its offensive while Ukraine simultaneously executes deep strikes to disrupt logistics.

The cumulative effect of the week's strikes is to force Russian air defences to spread coverage over a wider area, protect fuel infrastructure that was previously considered safe, and complicate the launch and control of attack drones that have terrorised Ukrainian cities.

Neither side has released full damage assessments for the refineries, and the operational impact on Russian fuel supplies remains unclear. Russia's Defence Ministry has not commented on the reported strikes individually.

Ukraine's Western partners have not publicly endorsed strikes on Russian soil but have not condemned them either, maintaining a policy of allowing Ukraine to choose its own targets within the bounds of international law.