Ukraine’s Record Deep Strikes Are Knocking Out Russia’s Industrial Heartland

Ukraine has been able to consistently strike military and military-industrial targets within Russia before, challenging the “safe rear” notion. However, 2026 has featured record levels of consistency. 

Ukraine launched over 7,000 long-range drones against Russia in March 2026, hitting multiple targets across the country, including Tuapse, Perm, Ufa, Omsk, and Chelyabinsk, demonstrating that these are not one-off strikes. Multiple industrial and military sites were hit, and the Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported that the strike zone had increased by 2.5 times. We list key strikes and compare their distances with those of the previous year to demonstrate how Ukraine’s capacity has grown.

Ukraine’s strikes in April 2026 

Ukraine hit military targets deep inside Russia throughout April 2026, reported the Ukrainian MoD. These have been in the Ural Region and beyond, and have involved a combination of Fire Point-1-7 drones and missiles and Neptune missiles.

Here is a larger list of long-distance strikes (300km+) in Russia.  

• Shagol airfield — Chelyabinsk region — ~1,700 km

• Su-57, Su-34, and unidentified aircraft — Shagol airfield, Chelyabinsk region — ~1,700 km

• Tuapse Oil Refinery — Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai — ~1,500 km

• Orsknefteorgsintez refinery — Orsk, Orenburg region — ~1,500 km

• Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery — Perm, Perm region — ~1,500 km

• Perm linear production and dispatching station — Perm region — ~1,500 km

• Bashneft-Novoil refinery — Ufa, Bashkortostan — ~1,400 km

• Novokuybyshevsk Petrochemical Company— Novokuybyshevsk, Samara region — ~1,000 km

• LSP-1 + LSP-2 oil platforms, Graifer field — Caspian Sea — ~1,000 km from the line of contact

• LRPK-Vysotsk Lukoil-2 oil loading terminal — Vysotsk, Leningrad region — ~950 km

• Syzran Oil Refinery — Syzran, Samara region — ~900 km

• Ust-Luga Oil terminal — Ust-Luga, Leningrad region — ~900 km

• Port “Primorsk” oil infrastructure — Primorsk, Leningrad region — ~850 km

• Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery — Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region — ~800 km

• Yaroslavsky Refinery — Yaroslavl, Yaroslavl region — ~750 km

• Sheskharis oil terminal — Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai — ~420 km

• Tikhoretsk oil pumping station — Tikhoretsk, Krasnodar Territory — ~300 km

• Strela missile production plant — Suzemka, Bryansk region — 300 km+ 

• Atlant Aero UAV plant — Taganrog, Rostov region — 300 km+

Ukraine’s strikes in March 2026

This month was reportedly the month where Ukraine surpassed Russia in terms of long-distance drone launches and shows a notable shift towards consistent, long-distance strikes.

March also had a sizeable amount of deep strikes. In fact, in March, Ukraine beat Russia in long-distance strikes, and its range evidently reached a benchmark: consistently and sustainably striking targets thousands of kilometers inside Russia. 

Here is a larger list of targets hit that month: 

• Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim Oil Refinery — Ufa, Bashkortostan — 1,300+ km

• Ufa refinery area/Bashkortostan refinery targets — Ufa, Bashkortostan — 1,300+ km

• Uralchem/KCKK chemical plant — Kirovo-Chepetsk, Kirov Region — 1,000+ km

• KuibyshevAzot chemical plant + Tolyatti Industrial Area— Tolyatti, Samara Region — 900–1,000 km

• Primorsk and Ust-Luga oil and port infrastructure— Leningrad Region — 850+900 km

• Patrol icebreaker Purga/Vyborg Shipyard — Vyborg, Leningrad Region — 900+ km

• Aviastar-SP Aircraft Plant — Ulyanovsk, Ulyanovsk Region — ~800+ km

• Kirishi Oil Refinery/Kirishinefteorgsintez — Kirishi, Leningrad Region — 800 km

• Yaroslavl Oil Refinery/Slavneft-YANOS — Yaroslavl, Yaroslavl Region — 750 km

• Engels-2 military airbase area — Engels, Saratov Region — ~700 km

• 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant — Staraya Russa, Novgorod Region — ~600+ km

• Saratov Oil Refinery — Saratov, Saratov Region — ~600+ km

• Sheskharis oil terminal — Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai — 420 km

• Afipskiy Oil Refinery — Afipsky, Krasnodar Krai — 400 km

• Labinsk oil depot/oil facility — Labinsk, Krasnodar Krai — 400 km

• Port Kavkaz — Krasnodar Krai / Kerch Strait area — 300 km+

• Tikhoretsk oil hub/oil pumping station — Tikhoretsk, Krasnodar Krai — 300 km

Compared to March and April 2025

If we compare the attacks to just a year ago, we can see the shift in Ukraine’s capabilities. Ukraine was already launching strikes over 1000km+ into Russia by this point; however, the average distance was lower, showing that the average range of the strikes has consistently grown over the year. 

If we look at the number of strikes 1000 km+, we see the notable shift, using the most conservative, identified estimate of strikes. In March to April 2025, the number of (confirmed) long-distance strikes over 1000km was 3. In the same period of 2026, that number was 12. 

If we compare the course of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in terms of distance, 2024 is the turning point. Volume has jumped up the most, however. Ukraine first surpassed 1,000 long-range drones launched into Russia in a month in August 2024. By July 2025, that monthly figure had risen to 3,000, and by March 2026 it reached 7,000. 

Ukraine’s long-distance strikes, the sheer volume of them, and increasing range are thanks to innovations in Ukraine’s drone and missile manufacturing, the removal of restrictions on long-distance strikes, and the expertise and experience of those using them, four years into a full-scale invasion. 

Russia’s military and oil infrastructure are now being consistently disrupted by Ukraine, and nowhere is safe for them, as much of it is within its 2000km range. Additionally, much of 80%+ of Russia’s population can and likely will see for themselves the air strikes on military and industrial infrastructure close to home, and feel the effects of the war, which changes the perception that it is something “far away”. Ukraine continues to pressure Russia, damage its military-industrial complex, and shows no signs of slowing down.

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