Drones belonging to the Special Operations Center “Alpha” of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have successfully struck Russian oil infrastructure near Perm for the second consecutive day. The latest target was the massive Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery. Ukrainian drones are systematically paralyzing the Russian oil industry, reaching targets located deep within the military’s rear, almost 2,000 kilometers from the frontline. According to analysts cited by the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, Moscow increasingly fears that these strikes are a prelude to a larger, unprecedented military operation known under the codename “Pavutynka” (Cobweb).
Ukraine’s Silent Offensive
Since the beginning of the week, Russian media has been flooded with reports of massive Ukrainian UAV attacks. On Monday, a drone swarm reached occupied Sevastopol, damaging over a dozen administrative buildings and enterprises. Local occupation authorities described it as the largest drone strike since World War I. On Tuesday, for the third time in two weeks, Ukrainian drones targeted an oil refinery in Tuapse. This time, they hit the production facilities directly rather than the storage tanks, causing extensive fires. By Wednesday, oil facilities in Orsk and Perm were under attack, with a massive blaze erupting at the Perm linear production and dispatch station (LPDS), a key node in the Transneft system.
The Strike on Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez
Today, Ukrainian “Liutyi” kamikaze drones reached the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery. As one of Russia’s largest facilities, it processes roughly 13 million tons of oil annually, supplying fuel to both the civilian sector and the Russian military. The drones precisely targeted the AVT-4 unit, a critical node for primary oil refining. The strike caused massive fires in both the atmospheric distillation and vacuum columns, effectively destroying the equipment required to produce gasoline, diesel fuel, and mazut. The SBU also launched a secondary strike on the LPDS Perm, causing new outbreaks of fire. The agency noted that distance no longer guarantees safety for the Russian military-industrial complex.
Reaching the Heart of Russia
The Polish publication highlights the unprecedented nature of these deep strikes, as drones travel over 1,800 kilometers to hit targets in the Ural region. Oleksiy Melnyk, an international security expert at the Razumkov Centre, explained that Russian air defense systems currently protect only Moscow, Vladimir Putin’s residences, and the immediate frontline. Journalists point to recent strikes in Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk, proving that Ukrainian drones have breached the Urals.
“No army that has ever fought against Russia has managed to achieve anything like this. Even during World War II, the German Luftwaffe never reached the Urals,” Melnyk stated.
Panic in Moscow
While Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tries to downplay the situation, pro-Russian military analysts are sounding the alarm over the impending “Pavutynka” operation. Even former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had warned back in March that Ukrainian drones would eventually reach the Urals. The continuous destruction of critical infrastructure demonstrates that Russia has exhausted its conventional warfare capabilities, leading some radical politicians to openly demand the use of tactical nuclear weapons as a final act of desperation and blackmail.