Flames rise from the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery after Ukrainian drone strikes, Yaroslavl, Russia, May 8, 2026 (Euromaidan Press)

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On the eve of Russia’s Victory Day, Ukraine has struck Russian military and industrial sites.

The Slavneft-YANOS refinery, one of the five largest in Russia, and a defense technology center were among the targets.

Vladimir Putin had declared a unilateral ceasefire for Russian ceremonies on Saturday, marking the anniversary of the defeat of Germany in World War II. Moscow has showed its concern over possible Ukrainian strikes, limiting the Red Square parade with no presence of military hardware.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky responded with the declaration of a ceasefire from 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday. Russia rejected the initiative with thousands of violations, including hundreds of drones.

On Friday, videos and photos posted by residents showed the fire at the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in the city of Yaroslavl, 250 km (160 miles) northeast of Moscow.

The refinery has a production capacity of more than 15 million tons per year.

Later in the morning, numerous explosions were heard in the industrial area of Rostov-on-Don in southwest Russia. Fires were reported at a branch of the Radar Scientific and Technical Center.

The Center, a research and defense technology company linked to Russia’s Defense Ministry, focuses on the development of advanced radar systems.

Zelensky posted on social media: