On Saturday, April 18, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that Ukrainian defense units successfully targeted and struck four key oil infrastructure facilities deep within Russian territory.

According to an official statement, the operation targeted the Syzran and Novokuibyshevsk refineries in the Samara region, the “RPK-Vysotsk Lukoil-2” oil terminal in the Leningrad region, and the Tikhoretsk oil pumping station in the Krasnodar region, The Caspian Post reports, citing Kyiv Post.

The General Staff emphasized that all targeted sites are directly involved in supplying the Russian military. Fires were reported at all four locations, and the full extent of the damage is currently being assessed.

In addition to the strikes within Russia, Ukrainian forces hit several fuel and lubricant storage sites in occupied territories, specifically in the Mariupol area. Strikes were also reported on Russian repair units near Mangush and Grafske in the Donetsk region, and Tokmak in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The coordinated campaign marks an escalation in Ukraine’s strategy to degrade Russia’s energy logistics. Overnight, monitoring groups and local residents reported significant blazes, including a fire at an ELOU-AVT-6 refining unit in Novokuibyshevsk.

While Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedoryshchev downplayed the strikes, reporting only a drone falling near a maternity hospital, the targeted plants are vital to the Russian economy, processing over 16 million tons of oil annually.

Three employees suffered acute stress reactions following a drone strike on a meat processing plant in Bohodukhiv, as Russian forces continue targeting civilian infrastructure.

The strikes in the Leningrad region, which reportedly involved 27 drones, forced Russian authorities to implement emergency “Kovyor” (Carpet) plans at several regional airports. This campaign follows a series of recent attacks on Baltic Sea export hubs such as Ust-Luga and Primorsk. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, previously noted that targeting Russia’s oil infrastructure is a strategic effort to reduce Moscow’s war revenue and strengthen Ukraine’s position in potential negotiations.