Ukrainian drones hit southern Russian refineries, Azov port

Rescuers clear the rubble after a Russian air guided bomb hit the centre of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Friday, July 10, 2026.

| Photo Credit: AP

Ukrainian drone strikes on Friday (July 10, 2026) hit southern Russian oil refineries and the port of Taganrog on the Azov Sea, where authorities declared an emergency and evacuated some residents, officials said.

Kyiv has beefed up its efforts in recent months to hinder Moscow’s financial capabilities in its war against Ukraine, targeting energy infrastructure in retaliatory strikes and causing a nationwide fuel shortage.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces downed over 370 Ukrainian drones, including over the Moscow region.

In the port of Taganrog, near occupied Ukraine, social media videos showed plumes of smoke rising over the city. Local governor Yuri Slyusar said he visited the port after “massive” night-time strikes. “Efforts to extinguish the fire of petroleum products at the seaport are ongoing.”

In the neighbouring Krasnodar region, authorities said drones caused a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery. Authorities reported no casualties.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has acknowledged that the Ukrainian strikes are causing a fuel shortage and said they are aimed at dividing Russians.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said that a turning point in the war with Russia was “still a long way off”, despite hailing a string of recent successes for his troops.

Kyiv’s army has halted the Russian advance across much of the front line in recent months, and delivered a string of major long-range attacks on Russian oil refineries. Many in Ukraine and among their backers abroad are saying Kyiv’s troops are on the front foot in the more than four-year war.

In a social media post summarising the first half of the year, Mr. Syrsky noted a decrease in the number of “active offensive fronts”, and said Russia’s assaults had dropped by half.

“At the same time, we are still far from a turning point in the war,” he added.

Published - July 10, 2026 11:30 pm IST