Ukrainian drones struck the Lukoil oil refinery plant in Russia’s Kstovo, Russia’s fourth-largest refinery, at around 1 AM this night. Multiple Russian Telegram channels reported the fire that erupted, while locals heard three blasts.
The attack comes just days after the Ryazan oil refinery, Russia’s third-largest, was forced to suspend operations after being hit by Ukrainian drones. According to defense experts, Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes deep in Russian territory have emerged as an effective strategy that forces Russia to divert resources to protect its critical infrastructure.
Located 800km from Ukraine’s border, the refinery in Kstovo can process 17 mn tons of crude oil annually.
Although Russian officials reported that the damage was caused by falling wreckage, locals heard three explosions, suggesting that impact did happen. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian air defense allegedly shot down 104 drones overnight, three of them in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
The operation was carried out by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate GUR, which claims all four drones struck their target, Babel’s and Suspilne’s sources report. The oil refinery was “severely damaged,” the intelligence sources say.
Russian TG channels reported that communications were jammed on the eve of the attack, but this did not prevent the drones from reaching their target.
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