Zelenskiy says Ukraine will continue extending range of strikes on Russia


FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy looks on during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 25, 2026. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo

April 29 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ⁠said on Wednesday that Ukraine would keep increasing the range of its ⁠strikes in Russia, posting footage of what he said was an ‌attack on a target at a distance of more than 1,500 km (930 miles).

Ukraine has stepped up its attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, aiming to knock out oil refineries, depots and ports and ​cripple Moscow's biggest source of funding for its war ⁠in Ukraine as global prices ⁠rose due to the Iran war.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine's security service had reported a successful ⁠strike ‌deep inside Russia, calling it "a new stage in the use of Ukrainian weapons to limit the potential of Russia's war" in a post on ⁠X.

The Ukrainian president posted a video of smoke billowing ​into the sky, but ‌did not identify the target that was hit. "The straight-line distance is over ⁠1,500 kilometres. We ​will continue to extend these ranges," he added.

Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU, said in a later post its drones struck a Russian oil pumping station near the city of Perm ⁠overnight, some 1,500 km from Ukraine.

On Tuesday, a ​Ukrainian drone attack caused a major fire at a Russian oil refinery in the Black Sea port of Tuapse, a third attack on the refinery in less than two ⁠weeks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the attack as evidence of increased Ukrainian attacks on civilian targets.

Ukraine's Defence Ministry said that since 2022, when Russia launched the full-scale invasion of its neighbour, Ukraine has increased the range of its strikes against ​Russia by 170%.

Ukraine has built up a stock of ⁠domestically produced long-range weapons since the 2022 invasion.

In February, Ukrainian drones struck the Ukhta refinery ​in Russia's Komi region, some 1,750 km from ‌the Ukrainian border, regional officials said.

"It is ​important that every strike reduces the capabilities of Russia's military industry, logistics, and oil exports," Zelenskiy added.

(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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