Ukrainian forces struck a major Russian refinery and multiple high-value targets on Wednesday, as officials say a growing drone campaign has already hit 10 Russian oil facilities this month, forcing several to shut down.
Ukraine’s General Staff on Wednesday said the Ukrainian military repeatedly targeted the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Kstovo and other key Russian sites, according to its Telegram report.
“The AVT-6 primary oil processing unit was hit, followed by a fire at the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery near Kstovo in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region,” the statement says.
Why is the Kstovo refinery strategically important?
The Kstovo refinery is Russia’s fourth-largest by processing capacity and second-largest in gasoline production, handling more than 15 million tons of crude annually.
It produces roughly 5 million tons of gasoline, over 5 million tons of diesel fuel, more than 2 million tons of fuel oil, and about 500,000 tons of bitumen each year.
Nizhny Novgorod Regional Governor Gleb Nikitin said drone debris had fallen in the Kstovsky district.
“The fall of debris caused damage and subsequent fires at two industrial facilities,” he said, adding that emergency services were working to contain the blaze.
The refinery has been targeted several times. After a drone strike on April 5, it suspended operations, according to Reuters.
How extensive is Ukraine’s refinery strike campaign?
Robert “Madyar” Brovdy, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), said 10 major Russian oil refineries have been hit since the beginning of May, with six forced to halt operations.
“Refineries in Moscow, Ryazan, Perm, Kirishi, and Samara (partially) are down. Tuapse is indefinitely closed. Primorsk and Yaroslavl were also stopped in May,” he said on Telegram.
Brovdy noted that the list includes only facilities targeted with USF participation, excluding those launched by other Ukrainian military branches:
- May 18 & 20 – Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery (Kstovo) – affected
- May 17 – Moscow refinery (Moscow) – suspended
- May 15 – Ryazan refinery (Ryazan) – suspended
- May 13 – Tamanneftegaz oil terminal (Volna, Krasnodar Territory) – affected
- May 8 – Yaroslavl refinery (Yaroslavl) – suspended, later resumed
- May 7 – Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery (Perm) – suspended
- May 5 – Kirishi refinery (Leningrad Region) – suspended
- May 4 – Kuibyshevsky refinery (Samara) – partially suspended
- May 3 – Transneft Port Primorsk oil terminal (Primorsk, Leningrad Region) – affected
- May 1 – Tuapse refinery (Krasnodar Region) – operations halted
Were other industrial targets hit?
Ukrainian drones struck the industrial zone of Nevinnomyssk in Russia’s Stavropol region early Wednesday, the region’s governor Vladimir Volodymyrov said on Telegram.
He reported no casualties or damage, although images circulated by the Russian outlet Astra indicated a fire at the Azot chemical plant.
The facility, owned by Eurochem, reportedly supplied materials used in explosive production between 2022 and 2024, according to Reuters. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, it has been attacked at least seven times.
Ukraine has not officially commented on that strike.
What damage was confirmed?
The General Staff also reported confirmed damage to four storage tanks with a combined capacity of 140,000 cubic meters (close to 5 million cubic feet) at the Yaroslavl-3 oil pumping station in Semibratovo that was struck in the early hours on Tuesday.
“The station is a key element of Russia’s oil transportation system and supports the aggressor’s military-industrial infrastructure,” the statement says.
What military targets were struck?
According to the General Staff, Ukrainian forces also struck Russian command posts in occupied Soledar in the Donetsk region, as well as command and observation posts in the Kherson and Donetsk regions.
Control centers for Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were hit in multiple locations, including Ukraine’s Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, and Russia’s Kursk region.
Additional strikes targeted Russian troop concentrations in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions, along with an ammunition depot in Marynivka and a repair facility in the occupied Luhansk region.