Mystery drones strike inside Russia: Yaroslavl refinery erupts in flames overnight
Illustrative photo: aftermath of drone attack (Getty Images)
On the night of Saturday, March 28, unknown drones struck one of Russia's largest oil refineries, located in the city of Yaroslavl, according to Ukrainian monitoring channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+.
According to open-source reports and footage from the scene, multiple drone hits were recorded at the facility, after which fires broke out across the refinery.
Official Russian authorities traditionally provide limited commentary on such incidents, but videos showing the fires at the refinery have been widely circulated on social media.
Yaroslavl region governor Mikhail Yevrayev stated that on the night of March 28, the region allegedly repelled an attack by more than 30 drones. He also said that late on March 27, the Yaroslavl airport imposed restrictions on the arrival and departure of aircraft.
Based on available footage, the drones approached the target not via a direct route, but from the northwestern direction, effectively flying over the city before striking the industrial zone. This trajectory may have been chosen to bypass Russian air defenses.
As a result of the attack, fires were observed in at least three separate locations across the facility. These included fires involving petroleum products near a production trestle or processing unit, gas fires following possible damage to technological equipment, and a fire in the tank farm area, where finished products and intermediate processing components are stored.
Due to the limited number of videos from different angles, it is currently difficult to determine exactly which units were damaged.
What is known about the Yaroslavl oil refinery
The Yaroslavl oil refinery (also known as Slavneft-YANOS) is one of Russia’s largest and strategically important oil refineries. The facility, operating since 1961, is owned by the company Slavneft.
The refinery supplies fuel to both the civilian market and the Russian military. Its processing capacity is about 15 million tons of oil per year (approximately 300,000 barrels per day).
The Yaroslavl oil refinery is located in the city of Yaroslavl, roughly 250 km from Moscow. The distance to the Ukrainian border is over 700 km, which has long been considered safe for Russian infrastructure.
It should be noted that the facility has been repeatedly targeted by drones, including in January 2024 and December 2025.
In the days prior, it was also reported that drones struck Russia's second-largest oil refinery, Kirishi Nefteorgsintez, causing fires that affected primary oil processing units and two storage tanks.
In addition, in Cherepovets, Vologda region, a drone attack triggered a fire at the Apatit plant, which primarily produces phosphate fertilizers.
