Ukraine Strikes Druzhba, Russia’s Largest Oil Pumping Station Near Border, Sparking Massive Fire

Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck a strategic oil and gas facility in Russia in the early hours of Wednesday, Aug. 13. The target was the Unecha oil pumping station (LDS “Unecha”) on the Transneft Druzhba main pipeline, located in the town of Unechka in Russia’s Bryansk region.

According to Kyiv Post’s sources in Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Directorate (HUR), the operation was carried out by HUR in cooperation with other units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Local Telegram channels reported a series of explosions in the town and surrounding area, after which a large fire broke out at the station. Russian emergency services were dispatched to the site.

Russia’s Bryansk region borders Ukraine on the north, with Unecha located about 40 kilometers (approximately 25 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

“Unecha” is the largest hub of the Druzhba pipeline system – owned by the Transnefteprodukt holding. According to intelligence sources, the facility transports oil through a pipeline network stretching about 9,000 kilometers (5,592 miles) and plays a key role in supplying fuel to Russia’s military-industrial complex.

The strike on “Unecha” was the latest Ukrainian intelligence operation aimed at undermining the logistics and energy infrastructure of the aggressor state.

Other Topics of Interest

Russia Launched 1,400 Drones and 1,500 Guided Bombs at Ukraine in a Week

President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russian forces deployed approximately 1,400 attack drones and 1,500 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine over the past week.

Overnight, 46 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down over Russia and annexed Crimea, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense:

“15 over the territory of the Bryansk region, 11 over the territory of the Volgograd region, 7 over the territory of the Rostov region, 5 over the territory of the Krasnodar region, 2 over the territory of the Belgorod region, 2 over the territory of the Voronezh region, 2 over the territory of the Republic of Crimea, 2 over the waters of the Sea of Azov,” the ministry stated.

Earlier strikes

On Sunday, Aug. 10, HUR carried out a long-range drone attack on the Lukoil-Ukhtaneftepererabotka oil refinery in Russia’s Komi Republic – more than 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Sources in HUR told Kyiv Post the targeted facility plays a key role in supplying Russia’s occupying forces with fuel and lubricants.

According to HUR, the strike hit an oil products reservoir, causing a spill, and damaged a gas and gas condensate processing unit used to produce propane-butane and gasoline.

Kyiv stresses that it operates in accordance with international conventions and targets only military objectives, including oil refineries that supply the Russian army.

Last Friday, a Kyiv Post source in HUR reported that two powerful explosions rocked the settlement of Afipsky in Russia’s Krasnodar region, hitting a military base of the Russian Air Defense Forces’ 90th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade.