UKRAINE struck a major oil refinery deep inside Russian territory today as Kiev intensified its campaign against the infrastructure funding Moscow’s invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said drones targeted the Syzran refinery, more than 800 kilometres inside Russia, posting video of the aftermath on social media.

The governor of Russia’s Samara region confirmed two people were killed by Ukrainian drones in Syzran.

Mr Zelensky said attacks on Russian oil assets have become almost daily occurrences.

“The key targets are Russian oil refineries, storage facilities, and other infrastructure tied to these oil revenues,” he said.

The Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine’s intensified strike campaign “has degraded Russian forces’ ability to conduct offensive operations” and supported recent Ukrainian advances — described as the most significant battlefield gains since 2024.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Mr Zelensky of “pursuing a course of further escalation,” calling him a “bloody usurper” clinging to power “not in the name of peace, but in the name of war.”

Russia’s Defence Ministry said air defences downed 121 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 109 of 116 Russian drones launched in return, with one civilian killed and six wounded.