Ukraine drone strike sparks fire at Russia’s largest oil terminal

Ukraine launched one of its most extensive drone offensives in recent months, striking Russia’s largest oil terminal on Saturday and igniting fires that engulfed two massive tankers. The assault temporarily halted crude loading operations at the Bashneft-owned facility, situated nearly 1,400 kilometers from the active front lines.

According to reports, one of the tankers had a storage capacity of about 700,000 barrels of oil. Although emergency crews later managed to contain the blaze, it remains uncertain whether the terminal has resumed normal loading operations.

Radiy Khabirov, head of Russia’s Bashkortostan region, confirmed that one drone had directly hit the terminal while another was intercepted and destroyed by air defenses. He maintained that the incident caused no casualties and only minor structural damage. However, videos widely circulated on social media captured the moment a drone exploded in flames upon striking the facility.

The strike forms part of Kyiv’s broader strategy to cripple Russia’s energy infrastructure, aiming to cut off a key source of revenue fueling Moscow’s war machine. Similar attacks in recent months have disrupted refining operations, lowered output capacity, and driven fuel prices higher.

In response to the growing energy tensions, US President Donald Trump reiterated his call for NATO allies to end imports of Russian oil, stressing that cutting Moscow’s energy earnings remains the most effective pressure tactic. Despite sweeping Western sanctions, several countries—including Turkey, Hungary, and Slovakia—continue to purchase Russian crude.

The Bashneft Ufa refinery, highlighted by the Kremlin in 2016 as one of the largest in the Russian Federation, manufactures more than 150 petroleum products and plays a pivotal role in the country’s fuel supply chain.