Ukraine war latest: Ukraine targets 3 major Russian energy facilities overnight

Prefer on Google by The Kyiv Independent news desk Russian energy facilities seen on fire following Ukrainian drone strikes on May 13, 2026. (Ukraine's General Staff/Telegram) Key developments on May 13: Ukraine struck the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal, the Yaroslavl oil refinery, and the Astrakhan gas processing plant in Russia overnight on May 13, the General Staff confirmed. Videos and photos appearing to show damage to Russian oil facilities, including large plumes of smoke rising from the sites, began circulating on Russian social media on the morning of May 13. NASA's fire monitoring system, FIRMS , appeared to corroborate officials' claims, with a fire reported at an oil storage facility near the port, specifically at the Tamanneftegaz terminal in Krasnodar Krai, which transfers oil and gas from Russian pipelines onto tankers traveling through the Black Sea for export to global markets. Confirming the attack, the General Staff said the Tamanneftegaz is one of Russia's key oil terminals near the port of Taman on the Black Sea coast. The terminal is used to transship crude oil, fuel oil, diesel fuel and liquefied petroleum gas, according to the statement. The Yaroslavl oil refinery, which was also targeted in the Ukrainian attack on May 13, produces gasoline, diesel and jet fuel and is "a key component in supporting the enemy army's logistics," the General Staff said, adding that primary oil refining units at the facility were hit. The Ukrainian strike on the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant sparked up a fire that is ongoing, the General Staff said. The Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant belongs to Gasprom and sits just up the Volga River from the Caspian Sea. The extent of damage at all three facilities is still being assessed, the statement read. In a separate report on May 13, Reuters found that a May 7 strike stopped all production at a Russian oil refinery in Perm. Citing two unnamed industry sources, Reuters reported that the damage could take weeks to repair. The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged a raft of overnight attacks , but did not mention any specific sites. The ministry did, however, immediately switch to celebrating the 243rd anniversary of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Ukrainian drones have increasingly targeted Russian oil and gas infrastructure in recent weeks, as part of a broader campaign to disrupt Moscow's energy revenues, a key source of funding for the Kremlin's war effort. President Volodymyr Zelensky has at times referred to the strikes in characteristically tongue-in-cheek remarks. Between mid-April and early May, Tuapse, a town in Krasnodar Krai and home to one of the largest oil refineries and export terminals on the Black Sea coast, had been systematically targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones. Multi-day fires contributed to worsening air quality and significant environmental pollution, emerging as a stark symbol of the Kremlin’s limited control over its airspace ahead of Victory Day festivities. The environmental fallout — including airborne petroleum byproducts and oil spills on city streets — has made the once attractive tourist destination unsafe for visitors, though Russian President Vladimir Putin has downplayed the threat to Tuapse. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil infrastructure reached a four-month high in April, with at least 21 attacks on refineries, pipelines, and oil assets at sea recorded. Russian forces launched a prolonged combined attack on Ukraine's critical and civilian infrastructure on the afternoon of May 13, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said. In a post on social media at 5:45 p.m. Kyiv time,   Zelensky said Russia had launched at least 800 drones since the beginning of the day, while additional waves of drones were still entering Ukrainian airspace. Zelensky said six people had been killed and dozens injured, including children. Zelensky called the attack "one of the longest massive Russian attacks against Ukraine," saying Moscow was deliberately trying to "spoil the overall political atmosphere" during U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to China. The president also warned, citing Ukrainian intelligence, that Russia could follow the drone waves with missile strikes to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses and inflict "as much grief and pain as possible." The first air raid sirens sounded around 11:00 a.m. local time in several Ukrainian regions, after which authorities in central, western, and southern Ukraine reported explosions in populated areas, casualties, and air defense activity. A Ukrainian monitoring channel "Monitor" published a map at around 12:30 p.m. indicating that groups of long-range drones entered Ukrainian airspace from Belarus, flying over the Chornobyl area toward the country's northwest. Another group of drones entered Ukraine from the Black Sea and headed west toward the Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, and Ternopil oblasts, according to the monitoring channel. The first wave consisted of a large number of strike drones intended to overwhelm Ukraine's air defenses and hit civilian targets. Yet Russian forces plan to follow up with a significant number of air- and sea-launched cruise missiles, as well as ballistic missiles, according to HUR. The agency said Kremlin targets could include critical infrastructure and essential services in major cities, including energy facilities, defense industry enterprises, and government buildings. Moscow has banned the publication of information about the consequences of drone strikes and other attacks without official permission, according to a statement published by the Moscow city government on May 13. This move is part of a broader wave of restrictions the Kremlin has introduced since 2025 to tighten control over information inside Russia, alongside internet shutdowns and the blocking of non-state platforms such as YouTube and WhatsApp, which in many cases are now accessible only through virtual private networks (VPNs). The new restrictions prohibit authorities, state-affiliated institutions, media outlets, emergency services, organizations, and residents from publishing text, photo, or video materials showing the aftermath of what officials described as "terrorist acts," including drone attacks. The ban also applies to information about damage caused by "other means of destruction" and attacks targeting people, property, or critical infrastructure. Under the new rules, such information may only be published after appearing in official sources, including statements from Russia’s Defense Ministry, the Moscow mayor’s office, the city government, or Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin’s social media channels. Authorities said the restrictions were introduced to combat the spread of "fake news" and would remain in force until further notice. Violators face fines ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles ($38–$64) for individuals, up to 50,000 rubles ($640) for officials, and up to 200,000 rubles ($2,500) for legal entities. By late November 2025, internet disruptions had been documented in 60 out of Russia’s 85 regions, including Moscow. In September 2025, the Kremlin approved a so-called "white list" of websites that would remain accessible during mobile internet blackouts. The list included state portals, and Kremlin-backed platforms. A massive fire reportedly broke out at a tourist complex in Moscow overnight on May 13, Russian Telegram media channels reported. The blaze, which reportedly exceeds an area of more than 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet), was reported at the Izmailovo Kremlin complex in eastern Moscow, a cultural and entertainment complex that seeks to mimic the architectural stylings of the Kremlin. Local residents reported that part of the building housing an escape room venue collapsed having been fully engulfed by the fire. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, and no information was available as to any casualties. The Kyiv Independent cannot verify the exact location of the fire. The fire, which is not immediately attributable to Ukrainian military operations, comes amid growing concern in the Russian capital following recent reported Ukrainian strikes targeting the region. On May 4, Ukrainian forces launched a drone attack hitting a high-rise residential complex in the Moscow's downtown, just three kilometers (about 2 miles) from the Russian Defense Ministry building. Fears of Ukrainian attacks on the Red Square subsequently grew in the days leading up to Victory Day celebrations on May 9, forcing the Kremlin to unilaterally declare a ceasefire for for May 8-9. Ukraine later declared its own ceasefire , to begin midnight on May 6 before U.S. President Donald Trump announced three-day truce between Kyiv and Moscow from May 9-11. The ceasefire negotiations culminated with President Volodymyr Zelensky signing a presidential decree "to allow a parade to be held in Moscow on May, 9, 2026." During the ceasefire, there were no large-scale airstrikes, though the Ukrainian Air Force reported Russian drone launches and the firing of one Iskander-M ballistic missile from occupied Crimea. Russian forces resumed their attacks on Kyiv overnight on May 12, launching dozens of drones towards the capital and hitting a residential building in the city, local officials reported.