Ukrainian deep strikes hit 18 Russian oil infrastructure assets in May, more than any other month in 2026 so far, according to the Ministry of Defense’s announcement, backed by open-source intelligence. Most were oil refineries, including ones Ukraine struck repeatedly in the past.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed earlier that 40% of Russia’s refining capabilities have been taken out of commission as a fuel shortage spread through parts of Russia.
Ukraine also hit four military-industrial facilities in May, including two chemical plants in Bryansk Oblast and Perm Krai, a comms factory in Chuvashia, and for the publicity piece de resistance, a microelectronics plant just north of Moscow.
Finally, 15 maritime assets, plus 10 aviation and missile assets were struck, including warships, shadow fleet tankers, port infrastructure, Tu-142 planes, a Ka-27 helicopter, and an Iskander missile system.
The strikes were spread out across a massive area, from Tuapse in the South to Kirishi in the North, all the way to the Perm Oil Refinery on the edge of the Urals. The MoD said that Ukrainian drones can now strike 1,700 kilometers away, distances they were also able to achieve in April.
Perhaps the most talked-about attack was the May 16-17 mass-strike against the Russian capital, in which Ukraine attacked the Angstrem electronics plant, the Solnechnogorskaya Pumping Station, and the Moscow Oil Refinery, though damage to the latter appeared to be minimal.
The value of this strike was debated. Some experts and insiders said it brought limited military value for the weapons expended, while others believe the psychological impact was worth it. Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Magyar" Brovdi leaned on this message, posting "Moscow never sleeps from now on."
On June 2-3, Ukrainian forces struck the other big city that the Kremlin cares about, just a few days too late to make it into the May statistics. The St. Petersburg refinery caught on fire, as did a Stereguschiy-class corvette at the Baltic Fleet HQ, the Kronstadt Naval Base. Embarrassingly, the strike happened on the opening day of a major economic summit in the city of St. Petersburg, fewer than 20 kilometers away.
Both sides ramp up long-range attacks
Russia has indirectly acknowledged that Ukraine's air campaign is ramping up. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 329 drones heading towards Moscow were shot down in May. The only time he cited a higher figure was in March, when he said that almost 400 Ukrainian drones targeting the Russian capital were downed. The numbers he provided for all other months, going back to the start of 2025 are significantly lower.
Russia's Defense Ministry reports showed a similar trend, claiming an ever-mounting number of drones shot down, from under 4,000 in January to just under 9,500 in May.
Russian claims are prone to heavy exaggeration, but the growing figures may contain a seed of truth, or at least the presence of a trend. A growing number of Russians are considering Ukrainian attacks a key issue, according to surveys by the pro-Kremlin Public Opinion Foundation.
Ivan Kirichevskyi, a soldier with the 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment and expert author at military analytics site Defense Express told Euromaidan Press Ukraine has reached long-range drone production volumes "comparable to or perhaps even exceeding the Russian Shaheds."
The deep strikes are made possible by Ukraine's constant wearing down of Moscow's air defenses in occupied territories and Russia itself. The lion's share of attacks against Russian targets within Ukraine is targeted at air defenses. This cuts attack corridors for long-range drones to get through.
Besides scaling and improving its most proven tools, like the FP-1 and Liutyi drones, Ukraine is making increasing use of tech to aid in deep-strikes like high-altitude aerostatic balloons. It is also attempting to grow its missile arsenal—Fire Point co-founder Denys Shtilerman has been promising that the FP-9 ballistic missile that’s under development will be ready to attack Moscow by fall.
However, the volume of Russia’s attacks against Ukraine is ramping up as well. According to the Air Force, Moscow has once again set a new record, with 8,361 long-range weapons fired in May, including 8,150 drones and 211 missiles.
Target list
Refineries, oil and gas infrastructure:
- Tuapse Refinery: capacity of 12 million tons of oil per year.
- Perm Refinery: capacity of 13 million tons; produces fuel for the Russian military
- Kirishinefteorgsintez Refinery: one of Russia’s biggest, with a capacity of over 20 million tons of oil per year, and a key logistics hub for the port of Primorsk
- Yaroslavl Refinery: Capacity of 15 million tons and military fuel producer. Key element of the Surgut-Polotsk pipeline from Siberia to Baltic Ports
- Astrakhansky Gas Processing Plant: Big part of Russia’s fuel and gas transport infrastructure
- Ryazan Refinery: Up to 17 million tons’ capacity, also a military fuel supplier
- Lukoil–Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez Refinery: 17 million tons’ capacity, military fuel supplier
- Syzran Refinery: 7 million tons’ capacity, military fuel and lubricant supplier, exports petroleum down the Volga River into the Caspian Sea
- Sheskharis Oil Terminal: One of the largest oil terminals in the Russian Federation on the Black Sea with a throughput of up to 75 million tons of oil per year.
- Grushovaya Oil Transfer Base: Can store up to 1.4 million cubic meters of fuel, important for hydrocarbon exports
- Tamanneftegaz Terminal: Used to store and transship up to 20 million tons of oil, fuel and liquefied gas per year
- Volgograd Refinery: 14 million tons capacity, military fuel supplier
- Saratov Refinery: 7 million tons capacity, fuel provider
Ukraine also hit two linear production dispatch stations, Vtorovo and Lazarevo, logistics nodes for pumping oil through the Russian pipeline network. The Solnechnogorskaya Pumping Station in Moscow, part of Moscow's oil infrastructure, pumps, stores and ships gasoline and diesel fuel for civilian and military use.
In addition, attacks struck regional oil depots and terminals in Taganrog, Feodosia, and Armavir.
Military plants:
- VNIIR-Progress plant in Cheboksary produces Global Navigation Satellite System receivers and antennas, including the Comet anti-jamming antennas used by Russian missiles and drones that attack Ukraine.
- Angstrem Plant in Zelenograd north of Moscow produces microelectronics, radio, and optical systems, which are used to guide Russia’s precision weapons.
- Metafrax Chemical Plant: produces materials used to make aircraft, drones, missiles, and other explosives.
- Bryansk Chemical Plant: produces explosives and helps supply Russian forces with ammo and gunpowder.
Ships:
Ukraine’s Armed Forces said they damaged warships, support vessels, and port infrastructure elements. These include:
- Two Karakurt-class missile boats, one in the Baltic Sea, one in the Caspian basin
- Admiral Essen Frigate: hit fourth time since March
- Several shadow fleet tankers near the port of Primorsk (just over 100 kilometers northwest of St. Petersburg) as well as the Azov and Black Seas
- A minesweeper and a Grachonok patrol boat
Planes and missiles:
- Several air force centers that collect military intelligence were hit in Voronezh, Taganrog, and occupied Sevastopol
- One Iskander-M launch platform was taken out around Taganrog
- Two Tu-142 aircraft were also destroyed in this area. At least one was likely a Tu-142MR, which helps Russia's command communicate with ballistic missile submarines
- A strike on the Yeysk military airfield hit a Ka-27 helicopter and a Be-200 naval patrol plane
- A strike on the 16th Federal Security Service (FSB) center, used “to guide missiles and drones over Ukraine’s territory and intercept signals from foreign satellites.”
