Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign escalated again on the night of June 23, with missiles striking one of the largest gas processing facilities in Russia.
The strikes also took out military satellite communications infrastructure and caused additional damage in occupied Crimea.
Tu-95. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Tu-95 Bomber Russian Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
It comes as Kyiv steps up its long-range campaign, forcing Russia to shut down major oil refinery operations and even prompting it to seek help from Kazakhstan to address its fuel shortage.
The Overnight Strikes
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the most significant overnight strike hit the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant in Russia’s Orenburg region, close to the Kazakh border.
The facility is located more than 1,200 kilometers from the front lines and is part of an enormous industrial complex that also includes Russia’s only helium production plant.
According to the General Staff, fires broke out at both facilities following the strikes.
In a Telegram update, the General Staff confirmed damage to both the gas-processing and helium plants, as well as to the buildings of the Vladimir Space Communications Center.
“On the night of June 24, 2026, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in the Orenburg Region of the Russian Federation hit the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant and the only helium plant in Russia.
The distance is over 1,200 km from the line of combat contact,” the statement reads.
It added that a fire was recorded at the facility and that the extent of the damage is being determined.
A Major Gas Complex
The gas processing plant produces purified natural gas and sulfur, which are used to produce explosives and black powder.
The helium processing plant, meanwhile, takes purified, sulfur-free gas and uses a deep-cooling system to extract helium.
Helium is used in liquid-fuel rocket engines and guidance systems.
The plant also produces ethane, a component used in the production of specialist plastics for cable insulation and aviation, as well as plasticizers for solid rocket fuels and gunpowder.
The strikes are a huge victory for Kyiv and a devastating blow for Moscow. The Orenburg complex is one of the largest of its kind in the world and has been operating since 1974.
The facility processes 45 billion cubic meters of gas per year, with the plant accounting for around 60% of all gas processed by Gazprom Pereborok, a subsidiary of the Russian state-owned energy corporation Gazprom.
Vladimir Space Communications Strike
Among the targets struck deep inside Russia this week was the Dubna Space Communications Center north of Moscow – the largest ground-based satellite communications complex in Russia.
The strikes also hit another military communications facility in Vladimir Oblast, just east of the capital city.
The Dubna site is used to connect satellites to terrestrial networks, supporting both military and civilian communications.
In a military context, Dubna relays signals and supports systems such as the Russian orbital satellite networks Meridian and Luch.
The damage could significantly impact coordination between front-line units and disrupt electronic warfare operations.
Russia Looks for Help from Kazakhstan
Russia is struggling to contain the damage to its energy infrastructure from Ukrainian strikes, and on June 24, Reuters reported that the Kremlin was in talks with Kazakhstan to import up to 50,000 metric tons of AI-92 gasoline to ease a domestic shortage caused by refinery strikes and unscheduled repairs.
Industry sources told the outlet that shutdowns at major refineries in central Russia, including the recent attack on the Moscow Oil Refinery, have cut gasoline output by around 25% year-on-year as of this month.
It is just one of several measures the Russian government is considering to stabilize the market amid ongoing Ukrainian strikes.
Occupied Crimea was among the first regions of Russia to face major shortages, moving to a rationing and coupon system before suspending gas sales to civilians entirely.
In recent weeks, those shortages have spread as far as Siberia.
This month, Moscow also allowed refineries to begin producing lower-quality gasoline and diesel for the domestic market, and reports suggest Russia is looking for new seaborne gasoline import options to mitigate the problem.
Putin Has a Problem
The Kremlin will be well aware, however, that short-term measures to mitigate shortages cannot be guaranteed in the long term, and the problem will not be solved by simply repairing the impacted facilities.
To prevent a full national crisis, Moscow must do more to protect its most important energy facilities throughout much of its mainland, thanks to recent advances in Ukrainian drone and missile manufacturing.
Alternatively, a Russian escalation may take out Ukrainian missile supplies and prevent continued manufacturing.
The last option would be a negotiated peace deal, which Putin indicated in recent days that he was willing to discuss, as long as it is based on the most recent round of talks in Istanbul.
In other words, Putin knows he needs an end to the fighting, but he won’t accept a deal without full Ukrainian surrender.
And that seems unlikely after the damage done by the most recent round of strikes.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, producing and editing analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at 19FortyFive and National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
