On the morning of September 24, 2025, the Salavat petrochemical complex in Russia’s Bashkortostan region found itself under attack for the second time in less than a week. According to local governor Radiy Khabirov, Ukrainian drones struck the vast facility, which is one of Russia’s largest producers of gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and a range of vital petrochemical products. “Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat has been subjected to another terrorist drone attack. We are assessing the extent of the damage. All emergency services are on scene, and firefighting measures are underway,” Khabirov announced via his Telegram channel, as reported by Reuters. The scene was tense, with emergency crews scrambling to contain fires and assess the full impact.
This latest strike is part of a broader pattern: Ukraine has ramped up drone attacks on Russia’s extensive oil and gas infrastructure in recent weeks, targeting refineries and export-bound pipelines. These attacks have not only rattled local officials but have also begun to squeeze Russia’s domestic fuel supplies. Traders and retailers, cited by Reuters, say that shortages of certain fuel grades have emerged, with refinery runs reduced and private filling stations struggling to stockpile fuel due to high borrowing costs. The war’s reach is being felt not just on the battlefield but in gas stations and supply chains across Russia.
The Salavat complex, under the control of energy giant Gazprom, isn’t just any industrial site. It produces a wide range of products, from everyday fuels like gasoline and diesel to liquefied gases, butyl alcohols, polyethylene, polystyrene, and ammonia. Its importance to Russia’s energy and manufacturing sectors can’t be overstated, making it a high-value target in Ukraine’s campaign to disrupt Russian logistics and revenues.
Earlier in September, Ukrainian drones also struck an oil refinery in Ufa, the regional capital of Bashkortostan, located some 1,400 kilometers (about 870 miles) from the Ukrainian border. That attack underscored the reach and sophistication of Ukraine’s drone program, which has become a defining feature of this phase of the conflict. The message from Kyiv is clear: no facility, no matter how deep inside Russian territory, is completely out of reach.
But Ukraine’s drone campaign is only one aspect of the escalating war. Just a day earlier, on September 23, tragedy struck the front-line town of Yarova in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. According to AFP and statements from Ukrainian officials, a Russian airstrike killed 24 people who were waiting for pension payments. President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video showing the aftermath, with several bodies lying near a burned-out minivan and a playground—a grim tableau of the war’s toll on civilians. “A brutally savage Russian airstrike with an aerial bomb on the rural settlement of Yarova in the Donetsk region. Directly on people. Ordinary civilians. At the very moment when pensions were being disbursed,” Zelensky wrote, as reported by AFP.
The weapon used was a glide bomb, a type of munition equipped with wings that allow it to strike targets dozens of kilometers away. Yarova, a small rural settlement with a pre-war population of around 1,900, lies just eight kilometers from the front line. The attack came as Russian forces have been massing around 100,000 troops in Donetsk, preparing for what Ukrainian officials describe as a large-scale offensive. The Ukrainian army has reported that, in some sectors, Russian troops outnumber Ukrainian defenders by as much as six to one.
The aftermath in Yarova was harrowing. AFP journalists in eastern Ukraine described mourners gathering outside a morgue, where staff had laid out at least 13 bodies in black bags. The Ukrainian postal service, Ukrposhta, confirmed that one of its vehicles was damaged in the strike and that its local department head, Yulia, was hospitalized. The organization, which delivers essential public services in front-line areas, said it would now change how pensions and other services are distributed in the region to protect staff and recipients.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general has launched a war crimes investigation into the Yarova strike. The incident has drawn sharp condemnation from Kyiv, with Zelensky calling on Western allies for a decisive response. “A response is needed from the United States. A response is needed from Europe. A response is needed from the G20,” Zelensky urged. “Strong actions are needed to make Russia stop bringing death.” The timing of the attack was especially painful, coming just days after a Russian missile struck Ukraine’s government headquarters in central Kyiv for the first time since the war began three and a half years ago.
Meanwhile, Russia’s own air defense forces have been busy. On the same day as the Salavat attack, Russian air defense units reportedly repelled a “massive” drone assault on fuel and energy infrastructure facilities in the Volgograd region, according to Governor Andrey Bocharov. No casualties were reported in that incident, but the frequency and scale of drone attacks have clearly put Russian authorities on high alert. Russia’s defense ministry claimed that air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 70 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight—a staggering number that speaks to the intensity of this new aerial front.
The ripple effects of these attacks are being felt across Russia. The reduction in refinery runs, coupled with the inability of private gas stations to stockpile fuel, has led to shortages of certain fuel grades, according to traders and retailers. For ordinary Russians, this means longer lines at the pump and higher prices—an economic pain point that could have political implications as the conflict drags on.
In the broader context, these developments underscore the evolving nature of the Russia-Ukraine war. What began as a ground invasion has morphed into a multi-dimensional conflict, with drones, long-range missiles, and economic disruption all playing critical roles. Both sides are adapting rapidly, leveraging technology and targeting infrastructure to gain the upper hand—not just on the battlefield, but in the daily lives of their adversaries.
As the world watches, the stakes continue to climb. Ukrainian officials warn that Russia’s troop buildup in Donetsk signals a looming offensive, while Russia faces mounting logistical challenges from persistent Ukrainian drone strikes. The international community, meanwhile, is being called upon to respond—not just with words, but with actions that could shape the trajectory of the war in the months ahead.
The events of late September 2025, from the battered towns of Donetsk to the blazing refineries of Bashkortostan, reveal a conflict that is both relentless and deeply human. Each attack, each loss, and each act of defiance adds another layer to a war that shows no sign of abating, even as its costs become ever more apparent to those caught in its crossfire.