At least 13 people, including a child, have been killed and 39 others injured after Ukrainian drones struck the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, according to Russian authorities and international media reports
The attack on Monday targeted industrial and civilian sites in Nizhnekamsk, a city located about 800 kilometres east of Moscow. One of the reported targets was the TANECO oil refinery, a major Russian petroleum-processing facility operated by Tatneft.
Tatarstan’s regional head, Rustam Minnikhanov, announced a period of mourning following the attack. Russian authorities said residential areas were also hit, while emergency crews were deployed to deal with the aftermath.
The reported death toll was initially put at 12, with 39 people injured, before officials later raised the number of fatalities to 13 following the death of another victim.
The strike represents one of the deadliest single Ukrainian attacks inside Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine has increasingly used long-range drones to target Russian military facilities, energy infrastructure and oil-processing sites, seeking to disrupt Moscow’s war effort and fuel supplies.
The TANECO refinery, which has a significant crude-processing capacity, has previously been targeted by Ukrainian drones. Reuters reported that the facility was also attacked in June.
Russian authorities described the latest attack as a terrorist act and condemned the targeting of civilian areas. Ukraine has not accepted responsibility for every reported strike inside Russia, while both Moscow and Kyiv routinely accuse each other of attacks that endanger civilians.
The latest attack comes amid continued escalation in long-range drone warfare between Russia and Ukraine. Both sides have increasingly conducted strikes far behind the front lines, extending the impact of the more than four-year-old conflict beyond the immediate battlefield.
The casualties in Tatarstan add to the mounting human cost of the war as Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange attacks despite ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict.
