Andrea Innocenti In recent days, tensions between Russia and Ukraine have escalated with a series of airstrikes conducted by Ukrainian drones . The operations, coordinated by Kiev, affected both the southern region, with strikes on strategic refineries, and the capital, where the air defense network was severely tested. Civilians paid a heavy toll: deaths, injuries, and extensive material damage, while Russian defense forces reported the highest number of drone interceptions in recent history.
Attacks in the Samara region and Bashkortostan
Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev announced on Telegram that a Ukrainian attack had left one dead and four injured, calling it a " treasonable " act. Local authorities emphasized that the target was an industrial facility, but did not name the refinery.
However, the Ukrainian military confirmed that it had struck the Rosneft-operated Kuibyshev refinery , located southwest of the regional capital. On the same day, Ukraine claimed responsibility for an attack on the Bashneft-UNPZ refinery, also owned by Rosneft and located in the republic of Bashkortostan.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring Belgorod region, regional official Alexander Shuvayev reported that eleven civilians were injured as a result of a combination of drone and artillery fire from Ukraine over the past 24 hours.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it disrupted 297 drones flying toward Russia and Crimea during the night of Monday to Tuesday.
The most massive attack on the Moscow region
On Saturday, the capital suffered what authorities called " the most massive attack " of the war: 450 Ukrainian drones were shot down by Moscow's anti-aircraft defense system. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed at least two deaths and twenty injuries, including three children, following impacts on a residential building in Sofino and a private home in the Orekhovo-Zuevo area. Among the critical facilities hit was the Gazprom-MNPZ refinery , which supplies more than a third of the fuel needed by the Moscow region and part of Russia's military supply.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the refinery strike represents " billions of dollars " of economic damage to the Russian war machine. Ukrainian forces also employed long-range missiles, including the Pelican ballistic missile and the Flamingo cruise missile, marking the first time the Pelican has been used against Russian targets.
Damage to energy infrastructure and transport routes
In addition to the refinery, the attacks targeted a logistics warehouse and sparked fires at several industrial complexes. Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo international airports imposed temporary restrictions on air traffic, with cancellations and delays lasting until Sunday morning. The Russian Defense Ministry later announced that it had shot down a total of 1.110 drones overnight, the highest total ever recorded.
The repercussions are not limited to Russia. In Ukraine, authorities have reported at least five casualties, including a three-year-old child, following Russian strikes in the Kyiv and Sumy regions. This situation highlights how the war is increasingly integrating air and ground forces, with both sides aiming to weaken the adversary's logistical and supply capabilities.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities continue to strengthen their anti-drone defenses and report increasingly frequent interceptions, in the hope of limiting further damage to civilian and economic infrastructure.