Ukraine's drones strike up to 60 miles

Ukraine has expanded a drone campaign against Russian targets that now spans oil refineries, storage sites, pipelines and, in other reporting, weapons plants and military facilities well beyond the front. Reuters reported on May 14 that Ukrainian attacks had doubled the number of Russian oil refineries targeted since the start of 2026, based on information posted by Russian officials on social media. Separate reporting by RFE/RL on May 7 said the strikes were also hitting air defense systems, airfields and weapons plants. Together, the reports show a campaign aimed at both Russia’s energy base and parts of its military-industrial system. ### How far are Ukraine’s drones reaching? RFE/RL reported on May 7 that Ukrainian strikes were hitting targets hundreds of kilometers from the front lines, including facilities in Russia’s Leningrad region, about 600 kilometers from the closest corner of Ukraine. ABC, citing Reuters reporting and Ukrainian statements, said strikes in late April hit refineries in the Perm and Orenburg regions about 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine. Those distances are far beyond the roughly 60 miles cited in the social post that prompted this story. (usnews.com) Time reported on May 17 that President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had struck targets more than 500 kilometers from the border despite dense Russian air defenses around Moscow. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 1,000 Ukrainian drones across more than a dozen regions over 24 hours, according to Time. ### Which Russian targets have been hit? Reuters reported that the strikes have hit oil refineries, pipelines and storage facilities, with major plants in Kirishi, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm and Tuapse among those affected. (rferl.org) Reuters calculations showed attacks knocked out about 700,000 barrels per day of refining capacity between January and May across 16 refineries, some hit more than once. (time.com) RFE/RL reported that the target list also included air defense systems, airfields and weapons plants. ABC, citing Ukrainian statements, said the Perm refinery and the Orsk refinery in Orenburg were struck, while Tuapse on the Black Sea had come under repeated attack in recent weeks. ### What damage has the campaign caused? The International Energy Agency said Russia’s crude output fell by 460,000 barrels per day in April from a year earlier to about 8.8 million barrels per day, Reuters reported. (usnews.com) Reuters also said Russia’s oil product exports fell by 340,000 barrels per day in April from March to 2.2 million barrels per day, the lowest level in the agency’s records. (rferl.org) Reuters reported that 35 primary distillation units with combined capacity of more than 2.85 million barrels per day had been forced offline since January because of drone damage or related disruptions. More than 40 shutdowns of primary units linked to external impacts had been recorded this year, according to industry sources cited by Reuters. (usnews.com) ### Are the strikes only about oil? RFE/RL reported that the attacks have also targeted military installations as Russia presses its war in Ukraine. The outlet said the strikes had altered security planning around President Vladimir Putin’s May 9 Victory Day parade, which was held without a show of heavy weapons such as tanks and intercontinental ballistic missiles for the first time in almost 20 years, while smaller parades in several cities were canceled. (usnews.com) Time reported on May 17 that Zelensky said Ukraine’s long-range capabilities were “significantly changing the situation,” while framing the attacks as pressure on Russia to end the war. That assessment was Zelensky’s. The verified reporting shows a widening target set and repeated disruption to Russian energy infrastructure. ### What should readers watch next? May 2026 statements from Russia’s regional governors, Russia’s Defense Ministry and Ukraine’s military have become the fastest public record of new strikes and claimed interceptions. (rferl.org) Reuters’ May 14 accounting and subsequent reporting from outlets including Time, ABC and RFE/RL suggest the next measurable markers will be additional refinery outages, export disruptions and any new confirmed hits on military plants or airfields. (usnews.com) (time.com)