Ukraine hits Russia's Orenburg gas plant, military satellite centres in night raid

Kyiv,UPDATED: Jun 24, 2026 16:28 IST

Ukrainian forces said on Wednesday that they carried out a night-time attack on a major natural gas processing plant in Russia and two satellite communications centres used by the Russian military. The strikes were part of Kyiv's wider aerial campaign against Russia's energy facilities and military industry as the war, triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion, entered its fifth year.

Ukraine also kept up pressure on Crimea, where overnight drone strikes cut power in Sevastopol, according to the city's Moscow-installed governor. Russia said it shot down 323 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 101 long-range attack drones during the night.

Ukraine's General Staff said the overnight attack hit the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant, part of a complex that also includes Russia's only helium plant, and that the strike set the complex on fire. Orenburg is more than 1,200 kilometres from the front line running across eastern and southern Ukraine, it said.

The General Staff described the plant as one of the largest gas complexes in the world. It said the facility produces helium, used in liquid-fuel rocket engines and guidance systems, and ethane, a key component in making solid rocket fuel and gunpowder, among other things.

It was not possible to independently verify the Ukrainian military's account, and Russian officials did not immediately comment. The Ukrainian statement did not say whether drones or missiles were used in the attack, though drones have recently been used to strike Moscow and St Petersburg.

The General Staff also said the overnight operation hit two satellite communications centres used by the Russian military. One was the Dubna Space Communications Centre near Moscow, which it described as the largest ground-based satellite communications complex in Russia, and the other was in the Vladimir region east of the Russian capital.

Ukraine has recently concentrated its drone and missile attacks on Crimea in an effort to cut off the Russian-held peninsula. Mikhail Razvozhayev, Sevastopol's Moscow-installed governor, said overnight drone strikes knocked out power in the city.

Crimea is in a strategic position on the Black Sea. It hosts naval bases and is an important supply route for Russian forces inside Ukraine. Ukraine's Security Service said on Wednesday that it struck two military airfields and destroyed missile systems in Crimea.

In sum, Ukraine said it targeted a major gas facility deep inside Russia as well as two military satellite communications centres, while also continuing attacks on Crimea. Russia and Ukraine both reported large-scale overnight drone activity as fighting continued on multiple fronts.

With PTI Inputs

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