The refinery under fire
Drones targeted the Slavneft-Yanos oil refinery in Yaroslavl for the second night in a row on August 6, according to social media footage and local reports. The facility, 700 kilometers from Ukraine's border, can process up to 15 million metric tons of crude annually.
The attack followed a similar strike the previous night, which Zelensky claimed as a victory in his effort to cut Russian war financing. The refinery has been hit multiple times since May 2026, with local videos capturing smoke and flames rising in the area. Ukraine said that Bashneft-Novoil and Slavneft-Yanos refineries were struck in the attacks, with Bashneft-Novoil located about 1,300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Impact and response
Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Yevrayev announced traffic restrictions but did not address whether the refinery was damaged. Local residents, however, reported fires at homes and limited visibility during the overnight attack. Evraev said 93 drones were shot down over the Yaroslavl region overnight. He confirmed that Slavneft-Yanos was on fire following the "largest enemy drone attack", with falling debris hitting the refinery's storage tanks. Emergency services are working to extinguish the fire.
Zelensky called the attacks part of Ukraine's 'long-range sanctions' to degrade Russian infrastructure. The ongoing strikes have forced multiple refineries to halt operations, worsening fuel shortages in Russia. The Ukrainian president also said that "two military patrol boats and shadow fleet vessels were hit" in the Black Sea, referring to tankers used by Russia to illegally export sanctioned oil.
Significance and pattern
The Slavneft-Yanos refinery is a critical node in Russia's oil supply chain. Its repeated damage is a direct economic blow to Moscow, with each strike estimated to reduce processing capacity and raise logistics costs. Each refinery hit is a move in a larger chess game, with oil dollars at risk and regional energy flows shifting in response. Energy-generating infrastructure in Yaroslavl has been targeted a number of times by Ukraine.