Ukrainian forces said Wednesday that they had struck a major natural gas processing facility and two key satellite communication centers in Russia during overnight attacks, as Kyiv intensifies its long-range campaign against Russian energy and military infrastructure.
Ukraine's General Staff said the operation targeted the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant, one of the world's largest gas-processing complexes and home to Russia's only helium plant.
According to a statement posted on Telegram, the attack sparked a fire at the facility, which is located more than 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) from the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The General Staff said the complex produces helium used in liquid-fuel rocket engines and guidance systems, as well as ethane, a key component in the production of solid rocket fuel and gunpowder.
The claims could not be independently verified, and Russian authorities did not immediately comment on the reported strike.
The Ukrainian military did not specify whether drones or missiles were used in the operation, although Kyiv has increasingly relied on long-range drones to target sites deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Ukraine also said it had struck two satellite communication centers used by the Russian military.
One of the targets was the Dubna Space Communications Center near Moscow, described by Kyiv as Russia's largest ground-based satellite communications complex. The second facility was located in the Vladimir region, east of the Russian capital.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continued its attacks on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said overnight drone strikes had caused power outages in the city.
Kyiv has recently intensified its drone and missile attacks on Crimea, seeking to disrupt military supply routes and target the peninsula's power infrastructure during the peak summer tourist season.
Western analysts say Ukraine hopes the campaign will increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin and undermine public support for the war.
Crimea holds strategic importance for Russia due to its naval bases and its role as a key supply route for Russian forces operating in Ukraine.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said Wednesday that it had struck two military airfields and destroyed missile systems in Crimea.
Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defense systems had shot down 323 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched 101 long-range attack drones against Ukrainian territory during the same period.