- Lead. Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces struck the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat complex in Bashkortostan overnight July 13–14, disabling both primary crude distillation units at the last major Russian refinery untouched in 2026.
- Fact. The facility processes 7.2 million metric tons of oil per year — roughly 2.7% of Russia’s entire refining capacity — and produces 2.5 million tons of diesel annually.
- Stake. Reuters industry sources say repairs could take “several weeks or even months,” directly contradicting local official claims of a rapid return to operation.
Ukrainian drones flew approximately 1,500 kilometres into Russian territory on the night of July 13–14 to strike the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat petrochemical complex in Bashkortostan, a republic in Russia’s Ural region. Both primary crude distillation units at the plant — CDU-6, with a capacity of 17,140 metric tons per day, and CDU-4, at 11,430 metric tons per day — were damaged and taken offline. Secondary processing units and utility infrastructure were also hit, according to Ukrinform, citing Reuters.
The last major facility still standing
The Salavat complex had been characterised by analysts as the last significant Russian petrol-producing refinery not yet reached by Ukrainian long-range strikes in 2026. The plant processed 7.2 million metric tons of crude in 2024 and produced 2.5 million tons of diesel, 1.5 million tons of gasoline, and 700,000 tons of fuel oil annually — a material share of the output Russia needs to sustain military logistics and domestic fuel supply.
A second simultaneous strike targeted the Afipsky refinery in southern Russia, suggesting a coordinated attempt to strain multiple points in the country’s refining network on the same night.
Competing accounts of the damage
Reuters industry sources said repairs to Salavat could take “several weeks or even months” — a timeline that would meaningfully reduce Russia’s refined fuel output heading into the autumn. Bashkortostan Governor Radiy Khabirov disputed that assessment in a public statement, saying: “Key facilities remain undamaged. There is some damage to the utility racks that carry supply lines and electrical cables. Restoration work will proceed around the clock. I expect the facility to return to normal operating capacity within several days.”
The divergence between official Russian regional statements and independent industry assessments has been a recurring pattern across Ukraine’s refinery campaign in 2026. When Ukraine struck the Tyumen refinery earlier this year, Russian authorities also initially minimised the damage before extended outages became visible in satellite imagery and fuel data.
Strategic calculus behind the deep-strike campaign
Ukraine’s sustained targeting of Russian oil infrastructure serves a dual purpose: degrading Russia’s ability to supply its military with diesel and aviation fuel, while also pressuring export revenues that underpin the Kremlin’s war budget. Salavat’s location deep inside the Urals — roughly 1,500 km from Ukrainian territory — required the use of long-range modified drones capable of navigating Russian air-defence coverage across multiple regions. The successful strike demonstrates a continued expansion of Ukraine’s effective operational range, even as Russia has invested heavily in drone interdiction along front-line corridors.