Zelensky: Drones Sent to Attack Refinery in Yaroslavl at Night

On the night of May 22, the Ukrainian Armed Forces sent strike drones to attack a Russian oil refinery in Yaroslavl.

This was reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to him, Ukraine continues defensive operations in designated areas of active combat, including the use of long-range drones against Russian oil refineries and export facilities.

“…In particular, last night the Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out an operation targeting the oil refinery in Yaroslavl—which is about 700 kilometers from our territory. We are bringing the war back home to Russia, and this is entirely justified,” Zelensky said.

Local residents began reporting the drone attack and explosions in Yaroslavl after 1 a.m.

Astra confirmed the likelihood of a drone attack on the Russian oil refinery after analyzing videos published online.

This refers to Slavneft-YANOS, which is the largest oil refinery in the Central Federal District of Russia. The plant’s capacity allows it to process up to 15 million tons of oil per year.

At the same time, no official reports of damage to any facility in the region have been released. Yaroslavl region Governor Mikhail Yevraev merely stated that the UAV attack had been repelled, thereby confirming the Ukrainian operation.

The plant is the main refining asset of PJSC NGK Slavneft, 99.7% of whose shares are controlled on a parity basis by PJSC NK Rosneft and PJSC Gazprom.

The plant produces a wide range of petroleum products: from automotive gasoline to jet fuel and lubricants.

Its customers include virtually all major enterprises in the Central and Northwestern regions of Russia, as well as airports, the Northern Railway Administration, and military-industrial complex facilities.

Ukrainian drones have attacked the Slavneft-YANOS plant on multiple occasions in the past. A previous strike took place on the morning of May 19, and as a result of an attack on the night of May 8, a fire broke out at the refinery.