‘Bringing war back to Russia’: Ukraine strikes Yaroslavl oil refinery

Ukrainian forces have struck a Russian oil refinery in the Yaroslavl region, located around 700 kilometres (435 miles) from the Ukrainian border, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday.

Reuters reports that Zelenskyy, on Telegram, said, “In particular, overnight, the Defense Forces of Ukraine operated against targets associated with the Yaroslavl oil refinery – about 700 kilometers from our territory.”

“We are bringing the war back home to Russia, and that's only fair,” he added.

Zelenskyy claims Russian troop losses cross 145,000 this year
In a X post, Zelenskyy wrote, “Since the beginning of 2026, Russian losses on the front have already amounted to more than 145,000 personnel – including nearly 86,000 killed, at least 59,000 seriously wounded, and more than 800 Russian servicemembers taken prisoner.”

He claimed that in the border areas of the Sumy region, Ukraine is achieving the designated objectives. “We continue destroying Russian personnel and the occupiers’ equipment in other sectors as well.”





Zelenskyy’s earlier claim on Russian oil refining capacity
Earlier, Zelenskyy had claimed in a post on X that Russia’s oil refining capacity had declined by nearly 10 per cent in recent months, with several oil wells reportedly shut down.

“Putin has, of course, built a war chest – but certainly not enough to fight indefinitely. Every one of our responses, every joint step of pressure together with our partners, pushes Russia closer to ending its war,” Zelenskyy wrote.

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, continues to intensify, with both sides carrying out fresh drone and missile attacks. More than four years into the conflict, there remains no clear path toward a ceasefire or peace settlement.