Ukraine strikes Russian oil refinery as Zelenskyy calls for Moscow to end war

LONDON -- The Ukrainian military struck a Russian oil refinery in Ufa on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Kyiv continues its pressure campaign seeking to push Russia to end the war.

"This is an entirely just response to everything Russia is doing against us," Zelenskyy said on social media. "Peace is needed, and this is exactly what Russia’s leadership must realize. Russia must end its war."

The Russian Defense Ministry did not appear on Wednesday to publicly comment on the attack, but said in a message on Telegram that its forces had shot down or otherwise destroyed at least 179 Ukrainian drones over Russian or Russian-occupied territory overnight.

The refinery, which Zelenskyy said was one of Russia's largest producers of lubricants, sits more than 1,300 km, or about 800 miles, from the frontline.

Ukraine overnight also launched an aerial strike at a military complex in the Penza region, where Russia develops and manufactures components related to missiles, Zelenskyy said.

The General Staff of Ukraine's military said the target was an aerospace facility known by its Russian acronym, NIIFI. The site is used to build sensors for some cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as satellite components, Ukraine said.

"Hits and smoke were recorded at the facility," the General Staff said in a Ukrainian-language update posted on social media. "This is a leading Russian enterprise in the field of space, aviation and military instrument-making."