Three Russian gas distribution systems in occupied Luhansk Oblast went up in flames on 25 September, according to drone photos posted by Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems command.
These strikes, along with attacks on military bases, refineries, and military plants in Russia’s territory, are hindering Russia’s war effort by forcing its aviation and naval forces to pull back from the front lines, according to Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. He said that 85 Russian assets were attacked in under two months.
“The capabilities of the enemy’s military-industrial complex have been significantly reduced,” he said.
In the 25 September Luhansk attack, Ukrainian drones from the 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems regiment blasted a gas routing station, serving Luhansk’s thermal power plant, in the town of Schastia. The town’s name translates to “happiness” in English.
“The fuel tank is emptying, the water in the tap is barely dripping, the blue fuel in the stove is not so blue anymore,” Ukrainian drone command wrote in a Telegram post accompanying the photos. “So much for happiness.“
Similar attacks also struck the Sievierodonetsk distribution plant that supplies gas for the Azot chemical plant, as well as the Novopskov plant — all in Luhansk Oblast.
Deep strikes in Russia proper
On the same day, Ukrainian attacks reportedly halted operations at the EuroChem Belorechenskie chemical plant in Russia’s eastern Krasnodar Krai. The chemical plant is one of the largest in the area, supplying Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Reuters had previously reported that the company EuroChem is one of the world’s biggest producers of mineral fertilizers. It was founded by Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko and its factories reportedly supplied 38,000 metric tons of acetic acid and 5,000 tons of acetic acid to a major munitions plant in Sverdlov as of the end of 2024, according to railway data.
Overnight on 26 September, Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ published a video, showing flames engulfing one of the processing units of the Afipsky oil refinery, also in Krasnodar Krai. The Afipsky refinery, owned by the Safmar group, is one of the largest in southern Russia, producing more than 2% of Russia’s total refining capacity, on top of making diesel fuel, gas gasoline, gasoil, fuel oil, and sulfur.
The refinery has been struck before. Previous Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries have hit Russia’s home front, reducing fuel supplies, leading to long lines at the pump and Russia’s ability to export hydrocarbons, which is the financial lifeblood of its ability to wage war.
According to Syrskyi, Ukrainian long-range strike drones operating as part of the country’s DeepStrike program attacked 33 military targets such as bases, supply warehouses and air assets, plus 52 military-industrial targets like factories that make weapons, ammo, engines and fuel for Russia’s war effort.