Unknown drones over Samara: explosions reported, airport restricts air traffic
Photo: Russian Emergency Ministry firefighter (Getty Images)
Residents of the Russian city of Samara are reporting explosions overnight, with local media suggesting a possible drone attack targeting an oil refinery, according to Russian media outlets.
Around 09:00 PM local time on November 15, authorities in Russia’s Samara region declared a drone threat.
Shortly after, Samara’s Kurumoch Airport restricted both arrivals and departures "to ensure flight safety."
Residents then began reporting multiple loud explosions, according to witnesses; at least ten were heard across different parts of the city.
Videos circulating online show flashes and bangs consistent with blast impacts.
Pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ reported that unknown drones may have struck the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in Samara.
The facility is owned by the Russian state-run company Rosneft and is one of the largest refineries in the country, with an annual capacity of 8.3 million tons of crude. It also produces military-grade aviation fuel, including for Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers.
Increasing attacks on oil refineries inside Russia
The same Novokuibyshevsk refinery was hit on August 28, triggering a large fire.
The most damaging strike on this facility occurred on March 10, 2025, which forced the refinery offline. The attack damaged the primary crude distillation unit, CDU-11, capable of processing 18,900 tons per day.
On November 4, drone attacks also halted operations at two other refineries, a petrochemical plant in Bashkiria and the Nizhny Novgorod refinery.
And in the early hours of November 3, Ukrainian Defense Forces targeted the Saratov refinery, with confirmed impact and fire in the processing area. Saratov is one of Russia’s oldest refineries, with a 2023 output of 4.8 million tons, and plays a direct role in supplying fuel to Russia’s armed forces.
