Key facts
- Ukraine struck a Russian drone storage and launch site in Oryol Oblast on Sept. 21.
- Five drone launchers were damaged in the strike.
- At least three drone storage warehouses caught fire.
- The facility was located near Tsymbulova, about 150 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
- Ukraine also struck the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara Oblast on Sept. 22.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian site used to operate attack drones in Oryol Oblast on Sept. 21, damaging five launchers, Ukraine's General Staff said on Sept. 22. The strike targeted a facility near the settlement of Tsymbulova in Oryol Oblast, roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the Ukrainian border. According to the General Staff, at least three drone storage warehouses were hit and caught fire, a launch site used for jet-powered strike drones was damaged, and five launchers were also damaged. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the extent of the damage. "Ukraine's Defense Forces systematically and as a priority target sites used to store, prepare, and launch attack drones in order to reduce Russia's ability to strike civilian targets in Ukraine," the General Staff stated. The strike occurred amid a broader wave of Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, with Ukrainian forces also striking the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara Oblast overnight on Sept. 22. The refinery processes around 7 million metric tons of oil annually and supplies fuel products used by Russia's military-industrial sector and armed forces. Ukraine frequently targets facilities connected to Russia's drone, missile, and energy infrastructure in an effort to reduce Moscow's capacity to sustain attacks against Ukrainian cities and support its war effort.