Massive fire engulfs Perm refinery after Ukraine's 1,500+ km deep strike inside Russia: What we know
Photo: SBU drones have been striking Russia's largest oil refinery in Perm for two days (Russian media)
Ukrainian drones have been attacking one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in Perm — more than 1,500 km from Ukraine — for the second day in a row. The fire has not yet subsided.
RBC-Ukraine has compiled everything known about the attack so far.
Key points
- Second day in a row. Drones from the Security Service (SBU) Special Operations Center Alpha have struck oil infrastructure near Perm for the second time.
- Refinery halted. Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez — one of Russia’s largest plants with a capacity of 13 million tons per year — was hit.
- Four tanks destroyed. A Liutyi drone hit the AVT-4 vacuum column directly, after which the fire spread to the atmospheric distillation column.
- Parallel strike on the pipeline. At the same time, the Perm linear production dispatch station supplying oil to the plant was attacked again.
- City in smoke. Public transport has been canceled, school classes and university lectures have been moved online, and an evacuation has been announced from nearby areas.
What was hit at the refinery
Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez, a plant with a capacity of about 13 million tons of oil per year, was struck. It supplies fuel to both the civilian sector and the Russian army.
In Russia’s Perm, a so-called oil rain was reported following a drone attack on oil facilities pic.twitter.com/NRRPaePu32
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) April 30, 2026
Drones hit the AVT-4 unit — a key node of primary oil processing. As a result of the strike, the vacuum and atmospheric distillation columns caught fire. Their damage put the unit completely out of operation.
At the same time, the SBU again struck the Perm linear production dispatch station that supplies oil to the plant.
Photo: smoke from the attack stretched for 450 km (t.me/exilenova_plus)
Four tanks destroyed
Videos from the scene circulating on social media show thick black smoke and open flames. A fourth oil tank has already ruptured.
Photo: updated aftermath of the refinery strike (t.me/kiber_boroshno)
Analysts from CyberBoroshno, who track open sources, have verified the strike. According to them, a Liutyi drone hit the AVT-4 vacuum column directly, after which the fire spread to the neighboring atmospheric distillation column.
Photo: at least four tanks are burning on the refinery’s territory (t.me/kiber_boroshno)
“We can confirm that at the LPDS Perm as of 1:15 pm on April 30, at least four tanks with a volume of 50,000 m³ each have been destroyed or are burning — the total affected capacity amounts to 200,000 m³ of commercial oil,” the analysts said.
The situation on the ground as of now:
- The AVT-4 unit has been completely put out of operation.
- The enterprise’s operations have been halted.
- Public transport has been canceled.
- Classes in schools and universities in the city are being canceled or moved online due to the threat of smoke.
- Announcements about evacuation from nearby areas are being heard.
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
What Russian authorities say
Local authorities traditionally downplay the consequences of the strike.
“There are no casualties or significant destruction. There is no threat to the life and health of residents. There is no chemical hazard threat,” wrote Perm Krai governor Dmitry Makhonin.
Meanwhile, videos filmed by locals show a completely different picture — thick smoke and explosions.
Aftermath of Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Perm oil refinery pic.twitter.com/1f08GB8u5N
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) April 30, 2026
SBU confirms strike on Russian strategic plant
“Russia must realize one simple thing: it no longer has a safe rear. Distance no longer guarantees protection. Every region where enterprises are working to support the war against Ukraine is within reach,” the SBU said.
The agency also emphasized that it will continue to systematically strike such facilities.
On April 29, SBU drones first struck oil infrastructure near Perm. At that time, the dispatch station supplying oil to the refinery caught fire, and the blaze engulfed almost all tanks at the facility.
After the first wave of explosions in Perm, there was a release of hazardous substances — a white mushroom cloud formed in the sky.
