Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine has increased its use of long-range drones for strikes on Russian oil refineries, attributing recent successes to higher daily deployment numbers, Suspilne reported on 20 September.
“Regarding oil refineries: we have drones, we know how to produce them. Everything depends on the number of drones we use per day. I think, based on the results of recent operations, it’s clear that we started using more drones,” Zelenskyy told journalists.
The president acknowledged current production levels remain below his targets for manufacturers and the Ministry of Defense. “As soon as the number of drones becomes comparable to the ‘Russians’ – they will feel it through fuel shortages, through the number of queues at gas stations. We see this more and more. A little more is reaching the target,” he said.
Zelenskyy identified funding as the primary constraint on expanding drone operations. Ukraine’s long-range drone production has reached a level where “everything depends exclusively on financing this weapon,” according to the president.
Beyond oil infrastructure, Ukraine targets military facilities with long-range drones. “Military facilities, warehouses – this is constant destruction on temporarily occupied territory and on Russian territory, where their drones are stored. This also has an impact,” Zelenskyy explained.
Recent strikes demonstrate the expanded drone campaign’s reach. On 18 September, Special Operations Forces attacked the Volgograd refinery, forcing it to halt operations. Overnight 19-20 September, Ukrainian forces struck refineries in Russia’s Saratov and Samara oblasts.
Since August, Kyiv has intensified attacks on Russian energy assets, seeking to disrupt Moscow’s military efforts in Ukraine and reduce Kremlin revenues as peaceful negotiation attempts have stalled.
Ukrainian drones achieved a milestone on 13 September, striking Russia’s largest oil port “Primorsk” for the first time since the 2022 war began, temporarily halting operations there.
The campaign’s impact extends beyond individual facilities. Reuters reported, citing three industry sources, that Russian pipeline monopoly Transneft warned producers they may need to reduce extraction following Ukrainian drone attacks on key export ports and refineries.