Ukrainian forces launched a long-range drone strike on key Russian oil and drone infrastructure overnight on 16 November 2025, according to the Ukrainian Army’s General Staff. The attack targeted the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery in Samara Oblast in Russia's Volga region around 900 km from the war zone in Ukraine, and struck a drone storage site belonging to Russia’s elite Rubikon unit in occupied Donetsk Oblast. Militarnyi says the assault was carried out using newly revealed Bars drones.

Ukraine hits Novokuybyshevsk refinery again with Bars drones

The Ukrainian General Staff shared the footage of launches of either land-based cruised missiles or jet-propelled drones and said its attack was part of a wider campaign to degrade Russia’s offensive capabilities and disrupt supply lines delivering fuel and munitions to the front.

Eyewitness reports cited by Militarnyi said residents of Novokuybyshevsk observed multiple drones flying overhead, followed by dozens of explosions and a large blaze lighting up the sky near the refinery.

The General Staff says the level of damage is still being assessed, but fire and explosions were confirmed in the area of the strike.

According to Militarnyi, this marks the sixth Ukrainian attack on the same refinery and the fifth just this year. A previous strike overnight on 18–19 October 2025 led to a full shutdown of the facility. Operations had resumed only in early November.

Rubikon drone unit and fuel depot also hit

The GenStaff said that alongside the refinery strike, Ukrainian forces also targeted a drone warehouse operated by Rubikon — Russia’s elite drone unit active in current combat operations — in Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast. A fuel and lubricants pumping station in the same area was also hit. The Ukrainian General Staff said these facilities were used to support Russia’s frontline forces.

Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, confirmed that the attack was conducted by the 1st Separate Center of Unmanned Systems in cooperation with Special Operations Forces and the Main Intelligence Directorate.

New long-range Bars drones used in attack

Militarnyi believes that footage released by the Ukrainian General Staff showed the launch of jet-powered Bars drones used in the operation. The Bars drone type was first publicly mentioned in April 2025 by then-Minister for Strategic Industries Herman Smetanin during the “Ukrainian Weapons 2024” briefing.

Although information on the Bars drone remains limited, BBC previously reported it as a private development similar to the Peklo cruise missile-drone. A source familiar with the design described Bars as a medium-range strike system capable of flying between 700 and 800 kilometers — a range sufficient to reach deep into Russian territory.

Ukrainian special forces targeted a key Russian-controlled fuel facility in occupied Crimea overnight. The strike hit a central component of the Hvardiiskyi oil depot located near the village of Karierne in Sakskyi district, according to Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces.

Ukrainian drone hits Hvardiiskyi fuel depot near Karierne

In the early hours of 10 November, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) launched a high-precision strike on the Hvardiiskyi oil depot, damaging its central pumping station. The depot is situated near the settlement of Karierne in Russian-occupied Sakskyi district of Crimea.

The SSO released video footage showing the final approach of the FP-2 middle-range drone until the impact from a drone’s onboard camera. The drone struck the pumping unit on the facility’s grounds, causing a powerful explosion. Ukrainian officials described the target as a key node in the fuel logistics chain used by Russian occupation forces across Crimea.

FP-2 drone used in the attack

Open-source intelligence group Cyberboroshno geolocated the hit to the central pumping station and said the facility was deliberately targeted to disable its core function.

“It was likely decided to strike the critical element without which the facility cannot operate,” Cyberboroshno noted, adding precise coordinates of the impact site.

Russian-linked monitoring groups reported the attack. 

On 6 November, Ukrainian forces hit more fuel depots in occupied Crimea, including one near the settlement of Hvardiiskyi, closer to the regional capital of Simferopol.