Ukraine launched what was described as its deepest-ever attack inside Russia on Wednesday, targeting gas-condensate facilities in the Arctic more than 3,000km from Ukraine’s border. The Ukrainian Armed Forces said two plants in the Novy Urengoy and Purovsky districts were hit.
The governor of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Dmitry Artyukhov, said the drones were intercepted and that falling debris caused a fire. Videos circulating on social media, which have not been independently confirmed, show smoke and flames at the Novy Urengoy plant. No deaths or injuries were reported.
What was targeted
The Ukrainian Armed Forces identified the weapons as FP-1 drones made by Fire Point, a Ukrainian company that produces long-range unmanned aircraft. The drones are about 6 metres wide, travel at 140–180km per hour and cost less than $60,000 each to produce, according to the supplied account.
The reported strike extends the distance associated with the FP-1. In July, one of the drones reached an oil refinery in Omsk, about 2,500km from Ukraine’s border.
Why the facilities matter to Russia
The targets are in Yamalo-Nenets, a region that accounts for about 80 percent of Russia’s natural-gas production and two-thirds of its gas reserves. It also holds 13 percent of Russia’s oil reserves, with estimated gas reserves of 26.5 trillion cubic metres.
The Kremlin’s envoy to the Urals, Artem Zhoga, said the attack was the first by Ukraine to reach the Arctic. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the long-range operation “completely justified.”
Possible consequences for Europe
The strikes add pressure to an energy system already facing uncertainty. European gas prices rose above 80 euros ($93) per megawatt-hour this week, their highest level since 2023 on the Dutch TTF benchmark, while gas storage stood at about 65 percent compared with 80 percent a year earlier, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe. Read the context: Rising European Gas Prices Reflect Fears of Winter Shortages Due to US-Iran Tensions.
The European Union has sanctioned Russian oil and gas since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has sought to reduce its dependence on Russian energy. A European Court of Auditors report said member states had not invested enough in alternative energy sources to phase out Russian gas and that the bloc’s crisis-response objectives often could not be demonstrated.
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