Sirens sounded in the city and residents reported hearing explosions and gunfire, according to The Moscow Times. Locals posted video of drones in flight and black smoke. The republic's anti-terrorism commission said drones were being destroyed over Ukhta, and schoolchildren were evacuated to shelters.
Rosaviatsia, Russia's federal air transport agency, imposed restrictions on arrivals and departures at Ukhta airport at about 8:30 a.m. Mayor Marina Meteleva called the situation "controlled."
After noon, Komi head Rostislav Goldshtein reported that the raid had been repelled. According to him, the safety of citizens and infrastructure was ensured and there was no damage from the attack. The drone-danger regime in the region was lifted and restrictions at the airport were removed.
The Ukhta refinery has been targeted before. On February 12, after a drone strike, one of its two AVT-1 primary processing units caught fire, knocking out about a third of capacity — roughly 6,000 tonnes per day. In August 2025 a drone hit one of the storage tanks at the plant. Ukhta lies about 1,700 km from the border with Ukraine.
In 2025 the plant processed about 3 million tonnes of oil, or 1.1% of Russia's total. It produces gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil and vacuum gasoil.
Accounts diverge: Ukrainian monitoring channels and Astra reported a fire at the plant and a hit on the target, while Komi head Rostislav Goldshtein said the infrastructure was not damaged.