Ukraine Unveils New Drones with 3,000-Kilometer Range

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Russia's Tyumen region in Western Siberia, more than 2,000 km from the Ukrainian border.

He said the strike was a successful operation by special forces units, confirming Ukraine's ability to hit strategic targets deep inside Russian territory.

Alexander Moor, the Russian governor of the Tyumen region, said air defenses repelled the attack. According to preliminary information, no damage was caused and refinery employees were evacuated.

The Tyumen refinery is one of the most modern in Russia. It processes approximately 6 million metric tons of crude oil annually and produces about 500,000 metric tons of gasoline and 2.5 million metric tons of diesel fuel.

Zelensky also announced the deployment of a new generation of modernized long-range drones capable of striking targets up to 3,000 km away. He said the move was a justified response to Russian attacks on Ukraine, aimed in part at weakening Moscow's financial resources for waging war.

(Reuters, est)