Ukraine Strikes Russian Fuel Depots and Bases in Crimea

Ukrainian forces conducted a series of strikes against Russian military logistics, fuel infrastructure, and specialized aviation assets across occupied Crimea and eastern Ukraine between April 4 and April 8, 2026.

The operations targeted a wide array of facilities, including oil terminals, railway fuel convoys, ammunition depots, and a base for high-value reconnaissance drones, according to reports from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Strikes on Crimean Fuel Infrastructure

On the night of April 8, 2026, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck oil depots in the temporarily occupied cities of Hvardiiske and Feodosiia in Crimea. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that Russia uses these facilities to accumulate and store fuel and lubricants for its troops.

In Feodosiia, the attack hit an oil storage facility belonging to JSC Marine Oil Terminal. Eyewitnesses reported explosions and fires involving two tanks—one larger and one smaller—with black smoke visible from several kilometers away. The General Staff identified the JSC Marine Oil Terminal as a key hub for supplying fuel by sea to the Crimean Peninsula and temporarily occupied territories in southern Ukraine.

Broad Logistics and Military Targets

Beyond the oil depots in Crimea, Ukrainian forces targeted several other military installations across occupied territories on April 8, 2026. These strikes included:

• Russian army logistics depots in the areas of Svitle in the Zaporizhzhia region, Sukhodilsk in the Luhansk region, and Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region.
• A field artillery depot located near Yalta in the Donetsk region.
• A drone depot near Stepne.
• An ammunition depot in the Uralo-Kavkaz area of the Luhansk region.
• A radio-electronic reconnaissance station in the Novoozerne area.
• The deployment area of the Bastion mobile coastal defense missile system near the occupied town of Sofiivka in Crimea.

Destruction of High-Value Aviation Assets

Earlier in the campaign, on April 4, 2026, Ukrainian units targeted the Kirovsky airfield in occupied Crimea. The strike hit a drone storage site, resulting in the destruction of one Inokhodets unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and causing damage to three additional units.

The Inokhodets, also known by its export name Orion, is a Russian medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) strike and reconnaissance drone. These aircraft are designed for patrolling and ground strikes, featuring an operational range of up to 250 kilometers and the capacity to carry a 200-kilogram payload of aviation munitions. Russian forces utilize these drones for reconnaissance and to counter Ukrainian maritime drone operations in the Black Sea.

Campaign Against Fuel and Energy Logistics

The strikes in Crimea were part of a broader effort to disrupt Russian fuel supply chains. On April 4, 2026, Ukrainian forces struck railway echelons transporting fuel and lubricants in the areas of Shchotove and Stanytsia Luhanska in occupied Luhansk. The General Staff noted that the destruction of these logistics hubs significantly complicates fuel supplies for the Russian army in that region.

Ukraine also extended its targeting to oil terminals within Russian territory. On April 5, 2026, drones attacked Novorossiysk, where reports and videos showed a fire at the Sheskharis terminal and a Transneft facility that services large oil tankers.

Further strikes hit the Sheskharis oil terminal in the Krasnodar region on April 7, 2026, damaging infrastructure used for oil transshipment and shipment. On the same night, Ukrainian forces also struck an oil terminal at the port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea.