Ukrainian Drones Set Fire to Kstovo Oil Refinery in Russia

A fire broke out at an oil refinery in Kstovo, in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, after a Ukrainian drone strike on Sunday, 1 November. The attack continues Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil industry sites during the war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels posted footage showing flames and columns of smoke above the plant. Regional governor Gleb Nikitin said an enterprise in Kstovo had suffered significant damage, but he did not name the company.

A major site in Russia's oil sector

The Kstovo refinery belongs to the oil company Lukoil. It is the fourth-largest in Russia by volume of oil processed and the second-largest by gasoline output. Ukrainian officials and commentators on social media say it processes about 17 million tonnes of oil a year, roughly 340,000 barrels per day. Social media posts also claimed locals were reporting queues at petrol stations; this is not confirmed by the source.

The refinery has been hit by Ukrainian drones several times before, and it halted operations after those attacks.

Russian attack on Ukraine

Meanwhile, overnight into Sunday, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 433 drones, the Ukrainian Air Force reported. Of these, 371 were shot down or neutralised using electronic warfare means. Russia used Shahed and Gerbera drones as well as decoy drones; among the Shahed-type drones, 47 were jet-powered.

Hits were recorded at 16 locations, and debris from downed aerial weapons fell at 14 more.