Drones hit one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, sparking major fire
Drones struck one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in Ryazan overnight on November 5, sparking a major fire at the facility, according to independent monitoring channels.
Over the past week, five Russian refineries have been targeted by Ukrainian drones, according to Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+. The latest incident occurred overnight on 5 November, when the Ryazan oil refinery, operated by Rosneft, caught fire. Exilenova+ reported that drones struck the plant, breaking through to the industrial zone, and posting video of the attack. The Rosneft-owned facility is one of Russia's largest refineries and supplies fuel to Moscow and central Russia.
Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov claimed that falling drone debris caused damage, while also stating that fires broke out at industrial sites in Ryazan, damaged power lines, and injured one person. He later reported that over 200 drones attacked the region, and that fires were put out or contained. However, the specific parts of the Ryazan refinery that were affected by the fire have not been reported yet.
This marks the fifth Russian refinery struck since 30 October, when strikes resumed after a two-week lull. The Ryazan refinery, which can process over 17 million tons of crude annually, produces gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, fuel oil, and bitumen. It plays a crucial role in supplying Russia's army, given its production of TS-1 jet fuel.
Three other refineries have also been targeted since 30 October: Novokuibyshevsk in Samara Oblast on 30 October, the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Ufa on 31 October, and Lukoil's Kstovo plant in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast on 1 November. These refineries together processed about 24 million tons of crude a year, accounting for roughly 10% of Russia's refining capacity in 2024 and over 10% of its diesel production.
On 3 November, drones struck the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in Yaroslavl, damaging its infrastructure and injuring two workers. In Ufa, Astra's analyst identified the burning plant as Bashneft-Novoil, with reports suggesting that two refineries in the city were attacked. Counting all incidents, Ryazan refinery becomes the sixth one hit in a week.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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