Drone strike targets refinery in Samara region, blasts heard in Novokuybyshevsk
Smoke from the refinery is visible throughout the city, eyewitnesses write (Photo: Russian media)
In the Samara region of Russia, on the morning of April 18, drones attacked an oil refinery in the city of Novokuybyshevsk, according to OSINT channels.
What happened
According to monitoring resources, around 4:30 AM local time, explosions rang out in Novokuybyshevsk – eyewitnesses counted at least 6–8 loud sounds.
Bright flashes in the sky were observed in the eastern and northern parts of the city. After the attack, thick black smoke rose over Novokuybyshevsk, and a fire broke out on the plant's territory.
The Russians report that an air raid siren is sounding in the city, and a Carpet mode (flight ban) has been introduced at the airport.
Samara region governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev announced a threat of drone attacks in the region around 3:00 AM, but at the time of post, he had not commented on the strike itself.
Photo: oil refinery in Novokuybyshevsk after the drone attack (t.me/exilenova_plus)
Target of the attack
The drones likely struck the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery, owned by Rosneft. This is one of the key refineries in the Volga region, with a capacity of 8.8 million tons of oil per year.
According to geolocation data, the fire most likely broke out at the EL0U-AVT-6 (AVT-11) unit.
The attack on the Novokuybyshevsk refinery is the latest in a series of strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. The day before, on April 16, air defense systems were active in Russia's Krasnodar Krai: explosions and a fire were reported in Tuapse, in the port area, and at an oil depot.
At that time, at least two oil tanks at the Tuapse refinery were burning.
According to Reuters, on April 7, following a Ukrainian drone strike, Russia's fourth-largest refinery was shut down.
Earlier, in November 2025, unknown drones had already attacked Novokuybyshevsk, with the local oil refinery also believed to be the target.
