Ukraine has taken its deep-strike campaign hundreds of kilometres inside Russia, hitting an oil facility in the Samara region along with military and logistics targets in the Oryol and Bryansk regions and the Black Sea. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the operations on Thursday, framing them as a direct response to Russia's relentless bombardment of Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.
Samara oil facility hit 860 kilometres from Moscow
In his daily address, Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces had struck an oil facility in the Samara region, around 860 kilometres southeast of Moscow. He did not identify the exact plant or give an initial damage assessment, and Russian authorities had not confirmed the incident at the time the reports were published.
Samara, in Russia's Volga region, hosts some of the country's largest refineries and pipeline infrastructure. A successful strike there would mark one of the deepest hits of Ukraine's long-range drone campaign against Russia's fuel and energy network — a campaign that has forced shutdowns and diesel shortages across Russia in recent months.
Drone launch site, supply depot and Black Sea target also struck
Alongside the Samara hit, Zelensky said Ukrainian forces targeted a site in the Oryol region used to store and launch the attack drones that pummel Ukrainian cities almost nightly, a supply depot in the Bryansk region supporting Russian occupation forces, and an unspecified target in the Black Sea. He did not say whether the Black Sea target was a vessel, an offshore facility or another military asset.
"Thank you to all our defenders who are working to return Russia's sick war to where it came from," Zelensky said, thanking the country's defence-industry workers and the military personnel who produce the long-range weapons, identify targets and carry out the strikes.
He described the operations as Ukrainian "sanctions" — measures intended to deprive Moscow of the means to keep fighting. "These are exactly the kind of just responses that are needed now," he said. "We will continue depriving Russia of the ability to continue this war."
Strikes follow another night of Russian attacks on Kyiv
The Ukrainian operations came hours after Russia launched another wave of overnight attacks. Ukraine's air defences downed 87 of 107 drones fired by Russia overnight, with strikes recorded at 11 locations.
One of Thursday morning's attacks struck a school in Kyiv. Children and teachers were in the shelter during the air raid alert, and there were no casualties, though a fire broke out on the school's third floor, a wall was destroyed and windows and doors were damaged. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko reported no injuries, and emergency services released images of rescue workers picking through the debris and dousing the charred building.
"Russian scumbags continue attacking life across our country, Ukrainian children, and our schools. Russia must be held fully accountable for this and receive a response to its strikes," Zelensky said.
Earlier, Russia's defence ministry claimed its forces had struck a data centre in Odesa and a cargo vessel in the nearby port of Chornomorsk — a claim Ukrainian officials did not confirm. Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian strikes injured one person each in Kyiv and Odesa, with infrastructure damaged in Odesa, a city Russia attacks frequently in an effort to choke off Ukraine's export revenue.
A grinding exchange of long-range blows
The October 1 exchange captures the rhythm the war has settled into: Russia trying to freeze and exhaust Ukraine with nightly drone and missile barrages against its energy grid, while Ukraine systematically dismantles the refineries, fuel depots and launch sites that keep Russia's war machine running. Kyiv has shown no willingness to curtail its deep-strike campaign despite Western unease over energy-market effects.
With winter approaching and both sides doubling down on long-range strikes, the war's deciding battles are increasingly fought not at the front line, but hundreds of kilometres behind it.
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