Moscow, 18 September 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Ukraine launched drone attacks on refineries in two Russian regions near the Volga River, authorities said on Thursday, pressing ahead with its campaign against Russia's economically important energy infrastructure.

The governor of the Volgograd region, Andrei Bocharov, said the city of Volgograd, which has a population of over 1 million, was bombed during the night. He said only minor damage was caused to some residential buildings from falling drone debris.

The Ukrainian military, on the other hand, said the local oil refinery was hit. "According to preliminary information, the refinery's operations have been halted," the military's special forces wrote on Telegram. The information cannot be independently verified.

The refinery in Volgograd is considered one of Russia's largest oil processing plants and has been damaged in attacks in the past. Kiev justifies the repeated attacks by saying the refinery produces fuel for the Russian military.

Another attack took place in the morning in the neighbouring region of Bashkortostan. A chemical plant belonging to Russia's state-owned Gazprom was hit in the city of Salavat by two drones, the head of the region, Radiy Khabirov, said.

"We are currently extinguishing the fire," he wrote on Telegram. He said the extent of the damage has yet to be assessed, but that there were no casualties.

The Russian military said it intercepted 43 Ukrainian drones overnight, including nearly a dozen in the Volgograd region.

While Ukraine launches regular attacks on Russian territory, including on energy facilities, the damage caused is dwarfed by the destruction brought upon Ukrainian territory by Russian strikes.

MIA file photo