Drone attack causes fire at Russian oil refinery in Samara region

A drone attack caused a major fire at an oil refinery in Russia's Samara region on Friday. Euronews and Georgia Today both reported that the facility in Novokuibyshevsk caught fire following the incident. Russian Telegram channels stated that a blaze started at the plant after a drone warning and multiple explosions. [1][3][4][5]

Footage and pictures posted on social media displayed large columns of black smoke rising above the scene, Euronews reported. Ukrainian National News reported that Ukrainian military forces carried out the strike against the Novokuibyshevsk Oil Refinery using FP-1 drones. [1][6]

The Novokuibyshevsk facility can process approximately 8.8 million tonnes of crude oil per year and produces jet fuel, according to figures from Rosneft cited by Euronews. Russia maintains one of the largest petroleum industries in the world and held the sixth largest oil reserves globally as of 2020. [1][7]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Ukrainian drone strikes have repeatedly targeted Russian energy infrastructure. A previous attack earlier this month set fire to the largest oil facility in the Moscow region. [9]

The strike comes despite a report from the Wall Street Journal on Thursday stating that Ukraine had paused attacks on Russian oil refineries because of pressure from Washington, according to Euronews. [1]