Ukraine's FP-1 drones fly 3,400 km to strike key unit at Russia's Omsk refinery
Photo: Strike on the Omsk oil refinery (Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces have struck an oil refinery in the Russian city of Omsk, one of the country's most strategically important energy facilities. Located thousands of kilometers from the Ukrainian border, the Omsk refinery is Russia's largest, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Special Operations Forces, and Fire Point chief designer Denys Shtilerman.
A strike hit the refinery's premises, sparking a fire. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
"Special Operations Forces drones traveled up to 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) to reach the target. This was the deepest long-range strike on enemy territory since the start of the full-scale invasion," the Special Operations Forces said.
According to preliminary information, Ukrainian forces hit the ELOU-AVT-11 primary crude oil processing unit, which has a designed annual processing capacity of 8.4 million metric tons.
According to Shtilerman, the strike was carried out using Ukrainian-made FP-1 drones, which are capable of reaching targets located up to 3,400 kilometers (2,113 miles) from Ukraine's state border.
What is known about the Omsk refinery
The Omsk refinery is Russia's largest oil processing facility, with an annual refining capacity of more than 21 million metric tons of crude oil. It also has one of the country's highest refining depths, at around 99%.
The refinery plays a key role in supplying fuel to Russia's military, producing aviation kerosene, diesel fuel, high-octane gasoline, lubricants, and petrochemical products.
The Omsk refinery had been the last of the 11 largest gasoline producers in Russia that had not yet been targeted by Ukrainian forces.
FP-1 drone
The FP-1 is a Ukrainian-developed long-range kamikaze drone produced by Fire Point. It is designed to strike strategic targets deep behind enemy lines at ranges of up to 1,600 kilometers (994 miles).
The drone can carry a warhead weighing up to 113-120 kg (249-265 lbs), or up to 60 kg (132 lbs) of explosives when operating at its maximum range.
Fire Point currently manufactures about 100 FP-1 drones per day, with each unit costing around $55,000.
Earlier on Monday, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), together with other Defense Forces units, carried out strikes on two Russian oil refineries and several military facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea.
The operation targeted the Yaroslavl refinery, the NOVATEK Ust-Luga refinery, a fuel terminal in Vysotsk, as well as the Hvardiiske air base and a Pantsir-S2 air defense system in occupied Crimea.
