14:58 07-10-2025

Drones Targeting Tyumen Oil Plant May Have Launched Nearby

A UAV expert suggests drones that targeted a Tyumen oil refinery may have launched from nearby trucks or possibly from Kazakhstan, not directly from Ukraine.

Ukrainian drones that attempted to strike an oil refinery in Tyumen may have been launched from cargo trucks rather than flown from across the border, according to UAV specialist and Russian Engineering Academy member Maksim Kondratyev.

He suggested that the trucks could have first driven into the outskirts of Tyumen, where the unmanned aircraft were then deployed toward their target. Kondratyev noted that a direct launch from Ukrainian territory is highly unlikely: the distance from the border to Tyumen is roughly 2,000 kilometers, meaning the drones would have needed to refuel somewhere inside Russia.

The expert also raised the possibility that the aircraft might have been launched from the territory of a state bordering Russia. He pointed out that some neighboring countries lack experience in countering such UAV operations or locating sabotage groups, making it plausible that the launch sites could have been located in Kazakhstan.

Authorities in Tyumen reported that three drones were shot down over the regional capital on the evening of October 6. Thanks to the swift work of emergency services, none of the UAVs detonated.