Ukraine exploits weak spot in Russia's air defenses, strikes oil sites — ISW
Illustrative photo: Oil refineries and military bases under attack: ISW reveals weakness in Russia’s air defenses (Russian media)
Ukrainian forces have found a weak spot in Russia’s air defense system and continue to exploit it, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
During a strike on Sevastopol, several Russian military ships and coastal infrastructure were damaged. The Yaroslavl Oil Refinery is one of the key facilities in Russia’s fuel system.
According to ISW, over the past two weeks alone, Ukraine has carried out at least 10 strikes on oil and gas infrastructure across Russia. This is confirmed by geolocation evidence.
Why the strikes are becoming more precise
Analysts cite several reasons that make such attacks possible:
- Russia’s air defense system is overloaded and unable to respond to all threats
- Ukraine is ramping up production of its own drones
- the range and number of strikes have been steadily increasing since March 2026
It is precisely the overload of enemy air defenses that allows Ukraine to reach targets that were previously almost inaccessible.
Russia is suffering losses not only on its own territory. Strikes are also being recorded in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia — in particular in Crimea.
Since March 2026, the intensity of such attacks has noticeably increased. Ukraine is not only increasing its number but also striking farther and more accurately.
As a reminder, the day before, on April 26, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a large-scale special operation in occupied Crimea. Fighters from the Alpha unit attacked a naval base in Sevastopol and the Belbek Air Base.
Three warships, a MiG-31, and some air defense facilities were hit.
As previously reported by RBC-Ukraine, on April 23, a strike targeted the Gorky oil pumping station in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region. As a result of the attack, three oil tanks caught fire, with the blaze covering an area of 20,000 square meters.
