Oil refinery in Northern Russia under attack
The town of Ukhta, 1,700 km from the front line, has been targeted by Ukrainian drones – for at least the third time since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
An oil refinery in Ukhta has been attacked, according to the Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+, which posted videos showing footage of fires and the sounds of the attack and sirens, apparently filmed by local residents.
The Ukhta refinery, part of Lukoil’s structure, processes approximately 4,2 million tonnes of oil per year. It produces petrol, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products supplied both to the domestic Russian market and for export. The facility had previously been attacked by Ukrainian forces twice—once in August 2025 and again in February 2026.
It might also have been under attack in 2024.
Temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures have been introduced at Ukhta Airport, according to air traffic authority Rosaviatsiya’s Telegram channel.
The regional so-called Anti-Terrorist Commission stated that operations to "destroy UAVs" were under way in Ukhta. It also reminded residents that they are forbidden from sharing photos or videos related to the aftermath of drone attacks, because "Ukrainian intelligence services actively monitor Russian media and online resources to assess the results of their sabotage and plan new strikes."
Meanwhile, Moscow’s airports were paralysed for nearly half the day. According to Rosaviatsiya data, Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky were effectively out of operation throughout Thursday night into Friday. Taking into account the restrictions introduced during the day on Thursday, two of the three main airports of the capital’s aviation hub did not receive or dispatch flights for roughly 11 hours over the past 24 hours.
