Ukraine Strikes Russian Refineries as Russia Hits Energy Grid
Ukraine resumed long-range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure while Russia launched massive missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's energy grid, leaving 280,000 families without power.
Ukrainian forces resumed a long-range strike campaign against Russian oil and military infrastructure on October 29 and 30, 2026. Targets included the Novokuibyshevsk Oil Refinery in Samara Oblast, the Marinovka Airfield in Volgograd Oblast—where two Su-34 fighter-bombers were destroyed—and an Iskander ballistic missile launcher in Kursk Oblast. Subsequent strikes on October 31 targeted the Ufa oil refining complex in Bashkortostan, causing a major fire at the Bashneft-Novoil refinery. Russian officials reported several deaths in Samara and Bryansk, while the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 1,043 drones.
Simultaneously, the Federal Government of Russia launched a series of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones against Ukrainian energy and transport infrastructure. Strikes on October 30 and 31 hit combined heat and power plants in Kyiv and Shostka, as well as electrical substations and gas facilities in the Dnipropetrovsk region. These attacks left approximately 280,000 families without power, with 200,000 households affected in Dnipro and 80,000 in Kyiv. Railway networks in Dnipro and Kharkiv were also damaged.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for stricter international sanctions and increased support to prevent further escalation in Europe. Meanwhile, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded that Russia's coordinated assaults on the energy grid may constitute crimes against humanity, citing a deliberate intent to deprive civilians of survival means before winter.
