Ukrainian drones reach 3,000 km inside Russia

On September 9, 2025, Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SSO) executed the most distant strike on Russian soil to date, targeting a natural gas facility nearly 3,200 kilometers from Ukraine's border in Siberia. The attack on Novy Urengoy's Gas Condensate Treatment Plant marked the first time Ukrainian forces breached the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, long considered a "safe territory" for Russian aggression.

The targeted facility, which processes 19.5 million tons of crude oil and natural gas annually, also produced diesel fuel and other petroleum products vital to Russia's military operations. A Ukrainian weapons manufacturer confirmed the use of its Flamingo missile drone for the strike.

Witnesses captured footage of flames and smoke rising from the GCTP facility, while monitoring channel Exilenova-Plus documented excess gas being released to prevent potential explosions. The governor of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug confirmed the attack, highlighting the escalating campaign against Russia's oil infrastructure by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.

This record-breaking strike demonstrates the extended range and effectiveness of Ukraine's long-range drones, as previously evidenced by their successful targeting of oil refineries in Omsk (2,500 km from Ukraine's border) and Perm Oblast (1,500 km from Ukraine) in previous operations. In a bid to deter further aggression, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines, insurers, and foreign governments that Russia's airspace would effectively be closed due to Ukrainian drone strikes.