Ukraine’s SBU and Defense Forces Strike Crimea Oil Refinery and Airfield

Coordinated Operation by Ukraine’s SBU and Defense Forces

According to ХВИЛЯ: On the night of May 17, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Defense Forces launched a series of strikes targeting strategic sites in Russia and temporarily occupied Crimea. The attacks hit:

• the Angstrem factory
• the Moscow Oil Refinery
• two oil pumping stations in the Moscow region
• the Belbek military airfield in Crimea

The operation was carried out by the SBU’s Alpha Special Operations Center in coordination with Ukraine’s Defense Forces, following directives from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Targets and Outcomes of the Strikes

The Angstrem factory, which supplies semiconductors to Russia’s military-industrial complex, is already under U.S. sanctions. Hitting the Moscow Oil Refinery and the Solnechnogorsk and Volodarskoye pumping stations is part of a broader strategy to degrade the enemy’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine. At the Belbek airfield, the strikes destroyed:

• a Pantsir-S2 air defense system
• a hangar housing an S-400 radar
• drone control systems
• the control tower

Over the nights of May 16 and 17, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces conducted 186 fire strikes against 46 targets in Crimea, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Dagestan. Among the targets hit were:

• a border patrol vessel near Kaspiysk
• a Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile system in Luhansk
• a strategic secure communications hub of the Black Sea Fleet

The strikes also destroyed command posts and a logistics depot.

Robert Brovdi (Madyar): 'The diversity of targets is off the charts-we are scaling up.'

SBU Chief Yevhen Khmara stressed that 'such SBU special operations are critical for weakening the Russian Federation’s military potential.' He added that hitting military-industrial facilities, military infrastructure, and oil logistics reduces the enemy’s ability to continue the war against Ukraine. Defense Ministry Advisor Serhiy Sternenko commented, 'there will be more to come,' underscoring that Ukrainian forces will persist in their efforts.

These strikes mark a key part of Ukraine’s campaign to counter aggression, demonstrating that even Russia’s most fortified regions are not safe. The actions reflect a ramp-up in Ukrainian military capabilities and a readiness to strike critical enemy assets, potentially reshaping the conflict’s trajectory.

In a related escalation, Ukraine has also targeted the Ryazan refinery and Russian naval assets in the Caspian Sea, underscoring a comprehensive strategy to undermine Russia's military capabilities. These coordinated strikes reflect a significant shift in Ukraine's operational approach, aiming to disrupt critical supply lines and infrastructure. For more details on these developments, see our coverage of the recent attacks on the Ryazan refinery and Russian warships.