Ukrainian strikes hit Russian drone storage base in Oryol Oblast

On September 22, Ukraine's General Staff announced that they had carried out strikes on two Russian oil refineries located in Bashkortostan and Samara. The targeted facilities, Bashneft-UNPZ in Ufa and the Kuibyshev refinery in Samara, experienced explosions resulting in fires at both sites. The General Staff provided details on the capacity and products of each refinery.

Bashneft-Ufa, with an annual processing capacity of around 7.5 million metric tons of crude oil, produces gasoline, diesel, boiler fuel, liquefied gases, and sulfur. Similarly, the Kuibyshev refinery, capable of processing approximately 7 million tons of crude oil each year, generates gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, and other petroleum products.

Both refineries supply the Russian military. The Ukrainian strikes, aimed at weakening Russia's military and economic capabilities, come in the wake of previous attacks. In June, the Kuibyshev refinery had to halt crude oil processing after a drone attack damaged equipment and sparked a fire, temporarily shutting down two main crude distillation units with a combined processing capacity of about 10,000 tons of crude oil per day.

The refinery had also been affected by drone attacks in August 2025 and March 2024, leading to its suspension of operations.