April 26, 2026

Data Cutoff: 5:15 PM ET

Anna Thacker, Jennie Olmsted, Justin Young, Diana Nasreddine, and George Barros

Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign continues to exploit overstretched Russian air defenses to damage oil infrastructure and military assets in Russia and occupied Crimea. The Ukrainian General Staff reported on April 26 that Ukrainian forces struck the Yaroslavl Oil Refinery in Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast, on the night of April 25 to 26, causing a fire at the facility. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that the refinery has a processing capacity of about 15 million tons of oil per year and produces gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Geolocated footage published on April 26 shows fires at the refinery, and a Ukrainian open-source intelligence (OSINT) source assessed that Ukrainian forces may have struck the ELOU-AT-4 installation, a key unit for raw materials primary processing. ISW has observed geolocated evidence that Ukrainian forces conducted at least 10 strikes against Russian oil and gas infrastructure across Russia in the last two weeks (since roughly April 12). Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported on April 26 that Ukrainian forces also struck Russia’s naval base and Belbek Airfield in occupied Sevastopol on the night of April 25 to 26, damaging the Yamal Ropucha-class project 775and Filchenkov Tapir-class project 1171large landing ships (both of the Black Sea Fleet [BSF]); the Ivan Khurs Yury Ivanov–class reconnaissance ship; the Lukomka BSF Training Center; a Russian Air Defense Forces radio technical intelligence headquarters; a MR-10M1 Mys-M1 coastal radar station; a MiG-31 interceptor aircraft; and Belbek Airfield’s maintenance section. Sevastopol occupation governor Mikhail Razvozhaev acknowledged the Ukrainian strikes and claimed that Ukrainian forces conducted one of the largest strike campaigns on Sevastopol, launching at least 71 drones overnight. Ukrainian forces have been steadily increasing the range, volume, and intensity of their long-range strike campaigns against Russian oil infrastructure and military assets in Russia and occupied Ukraine’s territories since March 2026, including a recent strike in Chelyabinsk on April 25 over 1,800 kilometers from the international border. Ukrainian forces will likely continue to exploit the large attack surface area of Russia’s deep rear and overstretched Russian air defenses to launch more frequent and larger strikes against Russian oil infrastructure and military assets, supported by increased Ukrainian domestic drone production.

• Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign continues to exploit overstretched Russian air defenses to damage oil infrastructure and military assets in Russia and occupied Crimea.

• Russian forces recently advanced in the Oleksandrivka direction.

• Russian forces launched 144 drones toward Ukraine overnight.

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