Armed Conflict — 2026-07-11

Ukrainian drones strike Russian oil depots in Tver and Stavropol overnight

BLUFCoordinated strikes spanning depots, terminals, and pumping stations across both flanks mark Kyiv's shift from isolated refinery raids to systematic degradation of Russia's fuel distribution chain.

Ukrainian drones struck two Russian oil depots overnight on July 9, setting fuel tanks ablaze in Tver Oblast and Stavropol Krai, according to regional officials and OSINT monitors 12. Ukraine's SBU confirmed hitting the Krasnaya Zarya depot in Tver Oblast, roughly 520 kilometers from the border, and the Stavropolskaya depot near Vyazniki, over 500 kilometers out, both handling gasoline and diesel 1. Tver governor Vitaly Korolyov confirmed a tank fire despite protective netting Astra had photographed over the reservoirs before the strike, while Stavropol governor Vladimir Vladimirov said the fire reached fuel reservoirs and prompted evacuation of an adjacent street 1. Monitoring channel Supernova+ separately reported a strike on the KINEF refinery in Kirishi, one of Russia's three largest, though Leningrad governor Aleksandr Drozdenko claimed air defenses intercepted the drone and denied damage 1. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces also struck a reserve fuel site, a Rostov Oblast oil terminal, and a pumping station near Ufa the same night 1.

Analysis
Ukraine's overnight hits on distribution-tier depots past 500 kilometers on both flanks, alongside the same-night terminal, pumping-station, and reserve-storage strikes Zelenskyy cited, indicate Kyiv is targeting the fuel supply chain from storage through transport rather than running isolated raids, with netting and layered air defense failing to stop the hits. Russia's split response, one governor confirming a tank fire despite netting while another denies any damage at Kirishi, points to authorities managing the effectiveness narrative alongside physical defense, and the Kirishi denial suggests the claimed single-night campaign scope may overstate uniform success across all named targets. Both outlets draw on the same pool of regional officials and OSINT monitors rather than independent chains, so the corroboration reflects a shared narrative rather than sourcing depth. The attrition compounds refining losses already driving fuel rationing across Russian regions.

2 sources

Russia wrapped its fuel tanks in protective nets, Ukraine's drones burned them regardless: two oil depots burned last night - Euromaidan Press
Drone Strikes Trigger Fires at Oil Depots in Russia's Tver and Stavropol - Caspian Post