Fourth oil tank explodes in Perm, evacuation underway
Photo: The SBU has again attacked an oil depot and an oil refinery in Perm (Getty Images)
At one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in Perm, fires and explosions have been ongoing for the second consecutive day, according to Telegram channels and an official statement from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Videos show that the fourth storage tank has burst, thick smoke has covered the sky, and evacuations are underway from nearby areas.
Read also: Putin breaks silence on Ukraine's strikes on Tuapse refinery
The target was the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery — one of Russia’s largest oil processing plants with a capacity of about 13 million tons of oil per year. The plant supplies fuel to both the civilian sector and the Russian military. It is located more than 1,500 km from Ukraine.
Drones struck the AVT-4 unit — a key facility for primary oil refining.
The fire spread from one processing column to another. Damage to both disables the unit.
According to the SBU, Ukrainian drones struck the Perm linear production-dispatch station for the second time, which supplies oil to the refinery. The first strike occurred yesterday. Today, new fire outbreaks were reported there.
“The enemy must understand a simple fact: it no longer has a safe rear. Distance no longer guarantees protection — every region where enterprises operate for the war against Ukraine is within reach,” the agency said in its statement.
Photo: Confirmed strike on Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez (t.me/kiber_boroshno)
Another oil tank has burst in Perm, local authorities have ordered an evacuation
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) April 30, 2026
This is the fourth tank to catch fire since this morning pic.twitter.com/CyfbNGyvmP
Analysts from CyberBoroshno, who monitor open sources, have verified the strike. According to them, a Liutyi drone directly hit the vacuum column of the AVT-4 unit, after which the fire spread to the atmospheric distillation column.
Perm region governor Dmitry Makhonin acknowledged the attack but downplayed its scale.
“Today, an enemy drone carried out a strike on one of the industrial sites in Perm Krai. Employees are in shelters. There are no casualties or significant destruction. There is no threat to the life or health of residents. There is no chemical hazard,” he said.
Meanwhile, videos from the scene circulating on social media show large fires and evacuation announcements.
On April 29, SBU drones struck oil infrastructure near Perm for the first time, then a linear production-dispatch station caught fire, which supplies oil to the refinery.
Almost all storage tanks at the facility were engulfed in flames.
After the first wave of explosions in Perm, a release of hazardous substances occurred, and a white mushroom cloud appeared in the sky.
