In brief: On Saturday, Aug. 1, a massive Ukrainian drone strike targeted Russian oil refineries in Ufa, Bashkortostan, and military positions in occupied Crimea. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 274 drones across 16 regions. In Ufa, flight operations were restricted as fires broke out at refinery facilities. In Crimea, satellite imagery confirmed fires at a Black Sea Fleet electronic warfare center on Cape Fiolent and an air defense base near the Kaya-Bash heights.
Aug. 1, 2026
A wave of Ukrainian drone strikes targeted oil refinery infrastructure in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan and military positions in occupied Crimea on Saturday morning, Aug. 1, sparking multiple fires.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported the scale of the attack to be unprecedented, claiming its air defenses intercepted 274 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) across 16 regions and the Crimean peninsula.
In the city of Ufa, Bashkortostan, explosions were reported on Saturday morning. Local monitoring channels and footage shared on social media indicated that drone strikes targeted the city’s oil refining infrastructure, resulting in multiple localized fires.
Ufa houses three major refineries; the specific facility hit has not yet been confirmed.
Following the strikes, the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) implemented flight restrictions at Ufa International Airport, suspending arrivals and departures due to the drone threat.
Strikes on Crimean defenses
Concurrently, strikes in Crimea targeted Russian electronic warfare and air defense positions in Sevastopol. The monitoring group Crimean Wind cited satellite imagery confirming active fires in the area following eight reported explosions.
The strikes hit Cape Fiolent, the base of the Black Sea Fleet’s 475th Independent Electronic Warfare Center. The unit is equipped with high-powered strategic systems, including the Murmansk-BN, Krasukha-2, Krasukha-4, and Zhitel.
The attack follows a previous operation by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) on July 26-27 that damaged a Murmansk-BN system at the same location.
Separate fires were also recorded near the Kaya-Bash heights in Sevastopol, the site of a known Russian air defense base.
Ongoing campaign against Russian logistics and energy
Saturday’s barrage follows coordinated strikes on Friday by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
Those operations targeted two aircraft storage hangars at the Yevpatoria Aircraft Plant in Crimea, infrastructure at the Port of Taman on the Kerch Strait, and the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery, one of Russia’s largest oil-processing facilities.
Drones also struck logistics hubs owned by the Russian e-commerce retailer Wildberries in Volgograd and Zelenodolsk, Tatarstan.
The continuous Ukrainian strikes against Russian energy infrastructure have significantly impacted domestic fuel supplies. Russian gasoline production had fallen to approximately 65% of average summer demand by early July.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/81525