Ukraine says its drones hit another refinery deep inside Russia as long-range strikes escalate

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones smashed into another Russian refinery overnight, starting a fire that produced huge clouds of black smoke, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, in what appeared to be the latest long-range attack on Moscow’s vital oil industry.

The drones targeted the Syzran oil refinery more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) inside Russia, Zelenskyy said on social media, where he posted a video of the aftermath.

It was impossible to verify the video or independently confirm the attack. The governor of Russia’s Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said two people were killed by Ukrainian drones in Syzran, but he did not mention the refinery. Russia’s Astra news outlet said Ukrainian drones struck the Syzran refinery owned by oil and gas giant Rosneft.

Ukraine has expanded its mid- and long-range strike capabilities, deploying drone and missile technology that it has developed domestically to battle Russia’s 4-year-old invasion. Ukrainian weaponry and expertise are now sought by other countries, whereas earlier in the war Kyiv had to plead for massive foreign military aid.

Ukrainian drones hit another refinery the previous day, Zelenskyy said, as attacks on Russian oil assets that play a key part in funding the invasion have become almost daily occurrences.

“Overall, our long-range plan for May is being carried out largely in full,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post late Wednesday. “The key targets are Russian oil refineries, storage facilities, and other infrastructure tied to these oil revenues.”

The escalating attacks have hurt Moscow’s revenue at the same time as the economic pinch of international sanctions. With some attacks reaching more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) into Russia, the strikes have contributed to some Russians feeling unsafe and heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine’s new reach has also helped it push back Russian troops along parts of the front line, with Ukrainian forces making their most significant battlefield gains since 2024, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Ukraine’s “intensified midrange strike campaign” since early 2026 "has also degraded Russian forces’ ability to conduct offensive operations across the theater and has also likely supported recent Ukrainian advances,” the Washington-based think tank said in an assessment late Wednesday.

Ukraine has slowed Russia’s battlefield advance and is gradually regaining the initiative along the front line, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said, partly due to Russian forces being denied access to Starlink satellite services to steer drones toward targets.

“Russia has since not been able to find a full replacement (for Starlink), giving Ukraine a critical battlefield advantage,” Fedorov told reporters. He spoke on Saturday, but his comments were embargoed until Thursday.

Fedorov said in February that he had asked Elon Musk’s SpaceX to help deny Russia use of the service in Ukraine. Starlink is a global internet network that relies on around 10,000 satellites orbiting Earth.

Fedorov said midsize drones have become a key technological advantage for Ukraine on the front line and claimed that Ukrainian forces have doubled their interception rate of Russian drones over the past four months.

In other developments, Ukraine is also preparing changes to military pay and contract terms, he said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 121 Ukrainian drones between late Wednesday and early Thursday.

In the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, eight people were wounded by Ukrainian drones, according to the regional governor, Alexander Shuvayev.

Russia has also invested heavily in drones, using them to bombard civilian areas of Ukraine throughout the war and killing more than 15,000 civilians, according to the United Nations.

Ukraine’s air force said Thursday it shot down 109 out of 116 drones that Russia launched overnight.

One civilian was killed and at least six others were wounded in the strikes in the north, south and east of the country, emergency services said.

Elsewhere, Russia and neighboring Belarus held the final stage of their joint nuclear drills. As part of the exercises, trucks carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles rumbled over forest roads, atomic-powered submarines set sail from Arctic and Pacific ports, and crews scrambled into warplanes.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko inspected Russian short-range, nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles at a military unit.

The three-day drills that began Tuesday come amid the surge in Ukrainian drone strikes, which make it harder for officials in the Kremlin to cast the conflict in Ukraine as something so distant that it does not affect Russian civilians.

Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Associated Press writer Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Russian servicemen prepare to launch an interceptor drone for an action in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Russian servicemen carry an interceptor drone to launch for an action in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Ukrainian servicemen of Khartia brigade launch a drone towards Russian positions at the front line in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire in a building following a Russian air attack in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

Ukrainian servicemen of Khartia brigade check the drone aerial view in the command centre Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

PARIS (AP) — The French Open begins in Paris on Sunday. This guide tells you what you need to know about how to watch the second tennis Grand Slam of 2026 on TV, what the betting odds are, what the schedule is, who the reigning champions are and more:

Play begins Sunday at 11 a.m. local time (0900 GMT, 0500 EDT).

— In the U.S.: TNT, TruTV, HBO Max.

— Other countries are listed here.

Coco Gauff of the United States and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.

Gauff won the trophy for the first time by defeating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4. Alcaraz rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to beat top-ranked Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) for his fifth major title in as many finals. It was Alcaraz’s second straight French Open title. Alcaraz injured his right wrist this season and has withdrawn from the French Open and Wimbledon.

Sabalenka is the women's, and Sinner is the men's. They are ranked No. 1 and the tournament seedings follow the WTA and ATP rankings.

Four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek is listed by bookmakers as the money-line favorite in the women's singles. She is at +225 ahead of Sabalenka (+275). In the men's draw, in the absence of the injured Alcaraz, Sinner is the overwhelming favorite at -300, ahead of Alexander Zverev at +750.

— Sunday through Tuesday: First Round (Women and Men)

— Wednesday-Thursday: Second Round (Women and Men)

— May 29-30: Third Round (Women and Men)

— May 31-June 1: Fourth Round (Women and Men)

— June 2-3: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)

— June 4: Women’s Semifinals

— June 5: Men’s Semifinals

— June 6: Women’s Final

— June 7: Men’s Final

— Jannik Sinner enters the French Open on a 29-match win streak, chasing a career Grand Slam

— Coco Gauff has a new mindset for title defense and more confidence on her serve

— Sinner opens French Open against wild card

— Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk raise trophies for war-torn Ukraine on the tennis court

— No. 1 Sabalenka calls for boycott if players don’t get bigger cut of Grand Slam revenues

— French Open players plan media protest over prize money share

— Carlos Alcaraz pulls out of Wimbledon because of wrist injury

— 45-year-old Venus Williams to play in French Open women’s doubles with Hailey Baptiste

— Three-star gastronomy is coming to Roland Garros. Organizers are launching The Jardin des Chefs, a new dining area showcasing the best of French cuisine. Some of France's top chefs and pastry chefs will take turns preparing their signature dishes, along with exclusive creations.

— Electronic devices that record players’ biometric data have been authorized on a trial basis for the first time. The initiative is designed to help players gain insights into their physical performance and recovery throughout the tournament, organizers said. Athletes will be allowed to use any device included on the “Player Analysis Technology” list approved by the International Tennis Federation. The trial will begin at Roland Garros and continue at the other Grand Slam tournaments this year.

Top players have expressed “their deep disappointment” at the French Open prize money. Open organizers announced an overall prize money increase by about 10% for an overall pot of 61.7 million euros ($72.1 million). The total amount is up 5.3 million euros from last year. But the players said their share of Roland Garros revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026. The Australian Open this year increased the players’ pay by 16%, and the U.S. Open last year went up by 20%.

Both, as you can read about in this AP story from 2019. English speakers tend to use “French Open,” although the French Tennis Federation doesn’t call it that. The French — and much of the rest of the world — go with “Roland Garros,” which is the facility that hosts the tournament and is named after a World War I fighter pilot.

The French Open is played outdoors on red clay courts at Roland-Garros on the southwest outskirts of Paris. Women play best-of-three-set matches with a first-to-10 tiebreaker at 6-all in the third; men play best of five with a tiebreaker at 6-all in the fifth. There are separate day and night sessions most days. The event lasts 15 days. There is a retractable roof on the main stadium, Court Philippe-Chatrier.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, wears shoes in the Italian flag colors after defeating Casper Ruud, of Norway, 6/4, 6/4 in the final match to win the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

United States' Coco Gauff reacts as she plays against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their women's final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after defeating Casper Ruud, of Norway, 6/4, 6/4 in the final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Sunday, May 17, 2026.(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)