Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks in recent days. Ukraine says it has carried out its deepest strike inside Russia since the start of the full-scale war, hitting a natural gas facility about 3,200km from the Ukrainian border. Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SSO) said the strike targeted the Novy Urengoy Gas Condensate Treatment Plant (GCTP) in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug on 9 September. The Ukrainian General Staff announced that the operation had been successful. Novy Urengoy is in north-western Siberia, more than 3,000km from Ukraine, and the strike was the first reported attack by Ukrainian forces in the Yamalo-Nenets region. "Until today, this area was considered completely safe territory for the aggressor," the SSO said on Telegram. The GCTP processes 19.5 million tonnes of crude oil and natural gas each year and produces diesel and other petroleum products for Russia's military, according to the Ukrainian military. The strike also targeted the nearby Purovsky Gas Condensate Processing Plant. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's post on the long-range missile. Ukrainian weapons manufacturer Fire Point, which produces the Flamingo missile, said its FP-1 drone was used in the attack. Footage filmed by residents appeared to show fires and smoke rising from the Novy Urengoy facility. Monitoring channel Exilenova-Plus also published footage showing the plant releasing excess gas through flare stacks, apparently to prevent explosions. The attack was confirmed by Dmitry Artyukhov, governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The strike is the latest example of Ukraine extending the range of its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as it targets Russia's energy infrastructure. On 6 July, Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Omsk, nearly 2,500km from Ukraine's border, according to the General Staff. Long-range Ukrainian drones also targeted oil refineries in Russia's Perm Oblast, Ryazan Oblast and Tatarstan on 7 September, with some of the sites more than 1,500km from Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has highlighted Ukraine's growing long-range drone capability. He recently warned airlines, insurers and foreign governments that Russian airspace "will be de facto closed" because of the threat posed by Ukrainian drone strikes. The latest attack marks a significant expansion of the geographical reach of Ukraine's campaign against Russian energy infrastructure, if the Ukrainian claims are confirmed. Rounak is a journalist with over 7 years of experience covering geopolitical and international affairs. He has a keen interest in research and explain... View More