Zelensky confirms strike on chemical plant 1,700 km inside Russia

Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Terminals and Chemical Plant Deep Inside Russia

Ukraine escalated its long-range drone campaign overnight on May 23, hitting an oil terminal in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk and a chemical plant nearly 1,700 kilometers from the border, as Kyiv continues to target the energy and industrial infrastructure underpinning Russia’s war machine.

Novorossiysk and Yaroslavl Under Fire

Falling drone debris triggered a fire at an oil terminal in Novorossiysk and two people were injured, local officials said early Saturday. According to an OSINT analysis by the independent Russian outlet Astra, the Grushovaya Balka oil depot was on fire. Russian authorities attributed the blaze to “falling drone debris,” their standard characterization of successful Ukrainian strikes.usnews

The attack marked another blow to the port city that has been struck repeatedly this year. In a separate campaign, Ukraine hit the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in Yaroslavl for the fourth time in May, following previous strikes on May 8, 13, and 19. The refinery, one of Russia’s largest, processes roughly 15 million tons of crude annually. Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Evraev claimed air defenses repelled the latest attack and denied casualties or damage, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the operation.kyivindependent

Metafrax Chemical Plant Hit in Perm

Zelensky confirmed on May 23 that Ukraine’s Security Service struck the Metafrax Chemicals plant in the city of Gubakha, Perm Krai, some 1,700 kilometers from Ukraine’s border. According to Zelensky, the facility supplies materials used in Russian military production, including for aircraft, drones, and missiles, and production at the plant has been “completely halted”.unn

The Kyiv Independent reported that the strikes overnight on May 23 targeted both energy and industrial facilities deep inside Russia. Metafrax was previously struck in February, when SBU drones damaged a methanol purification unit at the plant, one of Europe’s largest methanol producers.kyivindependent

A Systematic Campaign

Data published on May 21 by Russian-language outlet Vot Tak shows Ukraine has now struck at least 24 of Russia’s 33 largest oil refineries since the 2022 full-scale invasion, carrying out 158 confirmed strikes in total. The Ryazan and Saratov refineries have each been hit 15 times. According to Bloomberg, Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil infrastructure reached a four-month high in April, with at least 21 attacks recorded on refineries, pipelines, and maritime oil assets.euromaidanpress

Only refineries east of the Urals, such as those in Omsk and Angarsk, remain beyond Ukrainian drone range. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it downed 365 drones across 15 regions overnight between Friday and Saturday.usnews