Explosive drone strikes shut down two Russian oil refineries overnight
Illustrative photo: Two Russian oil refineries shut down after drone strikes (Russian media)
Two oil refineries in Russia — a petrochemical plant in Bashkiria and the Nizhny Novgorod refinery — have suspended operations following overnight drone attacks, according to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
"Two facilities — the petrochemical plant in Bashkiria and the Nizhny Novgorod refinery — have halted operations after last night's drone attacks," Kovalenko said.
He also noted that Russian sources report power outages in some areas of the Kursk region.
Background
Earlier, it was reported that a local petrochemical plant in the city of Sterlitamak, Bashkortostan (Russia), was damaged overnight following an explosion. A drone alert had been announced in the area beforehand.
Later, the city's mayor confirmed that the explosion occurred in the water treatment workshop of the Sterlitamak Petrochemical Plant JSC, causing a partial collapse of the facility. No casualties were reported. The cause of the explosion is still being investigated.
Additionally, on the night of November 4, residents of Lipetsk and Nizhny Novgorod reported explosions, and air defense systems were active. Airports in Volgograd, Tambov, Penza, Saratov, and Samara were temporarily closed. On the evening of November 3, power outages were reported in several Russian cities.
The previous night, on November 3, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck the Saratov Oil Refinery in Russia's Saratov region. The strike reportedly hit the target, causing a fire in the refinery area.
The Saratov refinery is one of Russia's oldest oil-processing plants, with a 2023 processing capacity of 4.8 million tons. The facility is involved in supplying fuel for the Russian armed forces.
In recent days, Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) chief Vasyl Malyuk stated that Ukrainian forces have carried out 160 strikes on refineries and other targets deep inside Russia. According to him, in September-October alone, several key refineries were hit, leading to a 90% drop in oil production and a fuel shortage exceeding 20%.
