At least 13 people, including a child, were killed and 75 others injured in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Tatarstan region, Russian officials said, in one of the deadliest single attacks on Russian territory since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The overnight attack targeted the city of Nizhnekamsk, more than 1,100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. The strike continued for several hours into Monday morning, according to local reports.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces confirmed that the Tanevo oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk had been hit. FirePoint, a Ukrainian defence technology company, said its FP-1 drones were used in the operation.
Kyiv has not officially commented on the reported casualties or explained the wider circumstances of the attack.
Unverified footage shared on social media showed large clouds of smoke and flames rising over the area, with air raid sirens heard in the background. The images could not be independently verified.
Russian authorities said both industrial sites and residential areas were affected. The Investigative Committee said civilians who were not involved in military operations were among those affected.
Rustam Minnikhanov, head of Tatarstan, confirmed the attack and offered condolences to the families of those killed. Nizhnekamsk Mayor Radmir Belayev described the incident as a devastating event for the city.
“This is a tremendous pain for all of us,” Belayev said.
Authorities have declared a period of mourning across Tatarstan.
The Nizhnekamsk oil facilities have previously been targeted by Ukrainian forces. Ukraine’s defence forces struck oil refinery infrastructure in the city on June 12, as Kyiv has increasingly carried out long-range attacks against Russian energy facilities, warehouses and other sites it says support Moscow’s war effort.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said more than 450 Ukrainian drones were intercepted or destroyed by Russian air defences during the same overnight period, although it did not provide details about how many were involved in the Tatarstan attack.
The strike comes as both sides continue to expand their use of long-range weapons. Ukraine has increasingly targeted facilities deep inside Russia, seeking to disrupt fuel production, logistics and other infrastructure linked to the war.
Civilian casualties have risen as the conflict has intensified. Russia continues to launch large-scale missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and residential areas.
A combined Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv last week killed 21 people, according to Ukrainian authorities. In Kharkiv, five people were killed overnight in a Russian artillery attack, officials said.
The latest strike highlights the growing reach of Ukraine’s drone campaign and the continuing danger to civilians on both sides more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
