Ukraine Says It Hit Major Russian Refineries in Ufa and Samara on Sept. 21–22

Ukraine’s General Staff said Tuesday that Ukrainian forces struck two major Russian oil refineries in Ufa and Samara on Sept. 21-22, and that fires were recorded at both sites. Russian regional authorities and local media also reported drone activity and fires in the two areas, but neither Rosneft nor Bashneft had publicly confirmed specific damage, identified affected units or disclosed any production losses at the time of writing.

The Ukrainian military said it hit Bashneft-UNPZ in Ufa, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan, and the Kuybyshev refinery in Samara. The timing in open reporting differs by site: the Ufa incident was reported on the morning of Sept. 21 local time, while the Samara incident was reported overnight into early Sept. 22 local time. In Ufa, Russian and international media reported a drone attack and a fire in an industrial zone near the Bashneft refining complex, but open-source reporting differed on which facility in the cluster may have been affected, with some accounts naming Bashneft-UNPZ and others pointing to Bashneft-Novoil or Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim. The identification of UNPZ specifically comes from the Ukrainian General Staff.

Bashkortostan regional authorities said air defenses shot down multiple drones over the region and reported fire and damage in an industrial zone in Ufa on Sept. 21. In Samara, regional media reported explosions, a drone attack and a fire at the Kuybyshev refinery overnight into Sept. 22. Samara Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said on Sept. 22 that a large drone attack on the region was under way and urged residents to shelter. Reporting also said Kurumoch airport, which serves Samara, temporarily restricted flights.

The two facilities are significant refining assets. The Kuybyshev refinery is part of Rosneft’s Samara refinery group and has design capacity of about 6.7 million to 7.0 million tonnes per year. Bashneft-UNPZ is part of Bashneft’s Ufa refining cluster and has capacity of about 7.5 million tonnes per year. Ukraine’s General Staff said products from both refineries are used to support the Russian military. More broadly, refineries matter because they produce fuels such as gasoline and diesel, meaning confirmed damage can affect domestic fuel supply and military logistics.

The reported strikes fit a wider 2026 pattern of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil-refining infrastructure. Both the Kuybyshev refinery and parts of the Ufa refining cluster had reportedly been targeted earlier this year. In a separate statement cited by Interfax-Ukraine, the General Staff said that “as of September 21, 2026, following the strike on the Moscow Oil Refinery, more than 45% of the design capacity of Russia’s oil refining industry has been disabled.” That is a Ukrainian military claim and was not independently verified by energy analysts in the reporting reviewed.

Russia’s Defense Ministry separately said air defenses shot down about 244 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions during the night, a claim that could not be independently verified. As of Tuesday morning, no public Rosneft or Bashneft press release had been found confirming the specific damage, naming damaged units or quantifying lost output. The reporting reviewed also did not contain reliable information about casualties tied to the incidents.