Ukraine fired a large volley of exploding drones at Russia on Friday, according to Ukrainian officials and the Russian military, in a barrage that set an oil refinery and pumping station on fire and briefly closed multiple airports, including several serving Moscow.
The attack was the latest and one of the biggest in Ukraine’s campaign to disrupt Russian military logistics and to put pressure on the country’s economy by striking the oil industry that is Moscow’s main source of revenue.
Ukraine’s fleet of drones, which resemble small airplanes and have ranges of about 1,000 miles, have attacked Russian refineries and factories at least 17 times this year, and dozens of times in 2024. Ukraine has ramped up drone production over the past year and now routinely fires large volleys.
Social media posts by Russians showed fireballs erupting early Friday over a major refinery in Ryazan, a city about 110 miles southeast of Moscow.
The general staff headquarters of Ukraine’s military issued a statement saying military and intelligence agencies had coordinated on the drone attack and hit an oil refinery and oil pumping station in Ryazan, starting fires. In the nearby Bryansk region, the statement said, Ukrainian drones hit an electrical components factory that makes chips for fighter jets and missiles, including two models of Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Topol-M and Bulava.
Overall, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have downed 121 Ukrainian drones over 11 Russian regions plus Crimea and Moscow overnight Thursday to Friday.
Oil refineries, in particular, have been a frequent target for Ukraine. Russia over the past two decades invested heavily in refineries, aiming to add value to its oil industry by exporting gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel in addition to crude oil. Many of the refineries are within range of Ukrainian drones. And because the sites themselves are flammable, small warheads can set off infernos.
The attacks complement Western sanctions that have cut into Russian oil revenue, though sales have remained robust enough to bolster the economy and finance the war effort. President Trump used a video address to the Davos economic forum on Thursday to press for the importance of reducing Russia’s income from oil in ending the war.
“If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately,” he said, adding he would ask Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to act to depress prices for Russian oil.
The head of Ukraine`s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, also emphasized the importance of lowering the oil prices. “A hard price cap and farther reduction in the price of a barrel of Russian oil is the path to global security,” he said on his telegram channel. “We fully support US President Donald Trump in his desire to reduce oil prices.”
Videos posted online by Russians showed major fires burning in Ryazan. The head of the region, Pavel Malkov, announced an air attack on the city but did not specify the targets. A military blogger who goes by the name of Rybar posted a list of other regions that were struck, citing local officials.
In online posts, residents of the city of Ryazan, which has a population of about 500,000, wrote critically of local authorities and said heating and electricity had been disrupted. There were no immediate reports on casualties.
In Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a post on his telegram channel that the Russian air force downed four drones heading toward the capital. Three Moscow airports and at least seven regional airports halted operations during the attack, according to Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency.
Russian drones also attacked Ukraine overnight Thursday to Friday, killing three people in separate locations near Kyiv, Mykola Kalashnyk, acting head of the Kyiv regional government, said in a statement. A 10-story apartment building suffered significant damage.
In the early hours of Friday morning the Ukrainian air force also reported attempted drone attacks on central and western Ukraine, including one aimed at the Ukrainian Air Force base at Starokonstantyniv, in the Khmelnytskyi region, a frequent target for Russian drones. There was no information on damage or casualties at the air base.
Andrew E. Kramer and Nataliia Novosolova contributed reporting from Kyiv, and Ivan Nechepurenko from Tbilisi, Georgia.
