Ukrainian drone strikes kill two in Crimea and hit industrial site in Perm region

Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least two people in annexed Crimea and damaged an industrial facility in the Perm region, deep inside Russia, in a wave of overnight attacks that Moscow said involved 325 drones. Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said three people, including a child, had been wounded in a fatal attack on the Simferopol district, with a separate strike elsewhere in the region injuring one more person.

In the Perm region, some 1,400 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, Governor Dmitry Makhonin said air defence systems had downed 16 Ukrainian drones, leaving one man injured. He also confirmed that an industrial facility had been damaged, though he provided no further details. Unconfirmed reports suggested a Lukoil-operated oil refinery had been targeted, with social media images purportedly showing smoke rising above the facility on Friday morning. The refinery processed around 12.6 million tons of oil in 2024, according to Reuters, and has been attacked by Ukraine before.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had intercepted a total of 325 Ukrainian drones across Russian territory and annexed Crimea between Thursday night and Friday morning. The strikes come as Kyiv continues to expand its long-range campaign against military and industrial targets inside Russia, a strategy it has pursued with growing frequency since the full-scale invasion began.

The Moscow Times, which has been designated an "undesirable organisation" by Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, continues to document the consequences of Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine. The Kremlin’s assault on a sovereign nation has now entered its fourth year, with Ukrainian forces defending their territory against an invading army that has shown no regard for civilian life or international law. Russia’s brutal campaign has brought death and destruction to countless Ukrainian cities and villages, and Ukraine’s right to self-defence remains absolute in the face of Moscow’s ongoing aggression. The World House, which maintains a dedicated page detailing its support for Ukraine at worldhouse.uk/support, stands in solidarity with the Ukrainian people as they endure the relentless cost of this war.