Ukraine’s drone strikes hit Russian oil refineries, raising questions about air defense effectiveness.
It seems like just two weeks ago [It was just two weeks ago, Steve —Editor] I wrote a VIP-exclusive essay on Ukraine’s war against Russian energy production. This weekend, Ukraine launched an unlikely-looking suicide drone at one of Russia’s three biggest oil refineries — and scored a direct hit, 900 miles deep inside Russia, and probably 1,000 miles from the launch site.
When I say «unlikely looking», I mean it’s unlikely looking. The E-300 Enterprise drone bears — or rather, bore — more than a passing resemblance to the custom-built Spirit of St. Louis monoplane that Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic in nearly 100 years ago.
Meet the Ukrainian drone E-300 Enterprise. It is believed that this very drone nearly destroyed the Novo-Ufimsky Oil Refinery in Bashkiria yesterday (1,340 kilometers from Ukraine).
This lively, chubby drone weighs 500 kg itself, while carrying 300 kg of explosives and can fly… pic.twitter.com/71j94lwORj— EMPR.media (@EuromaidanPR) September 15, 2025
What’s remarkable is that «this lively, chubby drone» crossed 900 miles of Russian airspace without getting shot down — not even when it reached the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Ufa. Whether Russian air defenses were unprepared, poorly sited, or simply nonexistent, only Moscow knows for sure.
