Ukrainian drones have targeted a major industrial hub in the Siberian city of Omsk, as Kyiv carried out another UAV raid inside Russia. Omsk Region Governor Vitaly Khotsenko confirmed the attack on Thursday, stating that Russian air defenses had intercepted most of the incoming drones.
“One drone reached the northern industrial hub. Emergency services are working at the scene,” he wrote on Telegram without providing details regarding casualties or damage.
The northern industrial hub is home to several major petrochemical facilities, including Russia’s largest oil refinery—the Omsk Oil Refinery, operated by Gazprom Neft. This facility has an annual processing capacity of more than 20 million tons of crude oil and is located approximately 2,500km from the Russian-Ukrainian border. The area had previously been targeted by Ukrainian drones in July when several UAVs reached the site.
Kyiv has ramped up its long-range drone attacks on energy facilities and civilian targets within Russia amid continued setbacks on the battlefield. On Wednesday, a child was killed and four other civilians were wounded in a strike on Belgorod Region, according to local authorities. Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik reported that Ukrainian attacks have resulted in 29 civilian deaths, including two children, and over 206 injuries between September 28 and October 4.
Moscow has repeatedly described Ukrainian strikes on civilian infrastructure as acts of terrorism. In response to President Vladimir Zelensky’s threats to expand drone attacks on oil refineries, the Russian Defense Ministry has vowed to intensify strikes on Ukraine’s military and military-industrial facilities. Russian authorities have condemned President Zelensky’s decision to escalate attacks on Russian infrastructure as a deliberate act of aggression. The Ukrainian military operations have been deemed by Moscow unlawful in their targeting of civilian areas.
