Ukrainian strikes on Russian targets in September 2026: refineries, defence plants, ports and airfields
September 2026 saw Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refining, defence enterprises, port infrastructure and military airfields. Under Demilitarizator’s current count, at least 49 strike events were added to its statistics during the month.
This is the site’s editorial tally, not an official overall figure from Ukraine’s Defence Forces.
September in numbers
Of the 49 events entered in the database, 16 fall under refineries and gas processing, 11 under defence industry, and eight under oil depots. A further three events are counted as ports and three as airfields. The remainder fall into other site categories.
Oil refining and gas condensate: from Ryazan to Novy Urengoy
The Novatek-Ust-Luga complex in Leningrad Oblast was hit on 1 September. Overnight on 6 September, Ukraine’s General Staff reported a strike on the Ryazan refinery and a fire at the plant.
One of the farthest confirmed episodes was the 9 September strike on the Novy Urengoy gas-condensate preparation plant. According to the General Staff, it lies more than 3,000 km from the Ukrainian border. The Saratov refinery was hit overnight on 11 September, followed by the refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban overnight on 13 September. The General Staff separately reported a hit on Taneco in Nizhnekamsk.
In the second half of the month, strikes were confirmed on the Syzran refinery on 15 September, Slavneft-YANOS in Yaroslavl on 17 September, and the Moscow refinery on 20 September. In its weekly summary for 21–27 September, the General Staff also named Bashneft-UNPZ, the Kuibyshev, Perm, Novoshakhtinsk and Ilsky refineries among the facilities hit. Their combined design capacity exceeds 40 million tonnes of oil a year.
Defence plants and military aviation
September’s strikes included enterprises linked to the production of drones, missile components and other equipment for the Russian military.
On 15 September, the General Staff confirmed a hit on Atlant Aero in Taganrog, which produces Molniya UAVs and components for Orion drones. Overnight on 25 September, the Iskra plant in Ulyanovsk was hit; during the same week, the General Staff reported strikes on synthetic rubber plants in Yefremov and Voronezh. The Azov optical and mechanical plant was hit overnight on 26 September.
Military airfields were another target. The General Staff reported a strike on the Rostov-on-Don airfield overnight on 6 September. In a separate operation overnight on 17 September, hits on one An-12, two An-26 aircraft and three helicopters were confirmed at Rostov-on-Don (Central) airfield.
Ports, ships and air defence
Overnight on 9 September, the General Staff confirmed strikes on the naval base in Novorossiysk and fuel-oil storage in the port area. Its summary also reported hits on several ships. The Makhachkala seaport was hit overnight on 10 September. The strikes affected both fuel processing and the sea routes used for its transshipment and military logistics.
Ukrainian forces also targeted Russian air-defence and radar assets. Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, reported 37 air-defence assets hit or destroyed between 1 and 18 September.
Overall, according to the General Staff’s statistics, Russian forces lost 86 air-defence assets during September 2026.
The cumulative figure stood at 1,597 air-defence assets on the morning of 1 September. By the morning of 1 October, including losses on 30 September, it had reached 1,683.
What the September strikes show
Publicly confirmed operations covered several links in Russia’s war effort: oil and condensate processing, production of military components, maritime logistics and aviation.