Unidentified drones struck the Ryazan Oil Refinery and targeted Russia’s Rostov region early Sunday morning, Sept. 6, igniting a fire at the critical energy facility and damaging residential infrastructure.
The Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of the largest in Russia, caught fire following the drone impact, according to the Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+.
The enterprise previously halted crude oil processing on July 29 after a Ukrainian drone strike confirmed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as an earlier attack on May 15 that disrupted operations.
The facility processes roughly 13.1 million metric tons of crude oil annually – accounting for nearly 5% of Russia’s total refining capacity – and produced 2.2 million tons of gasoline, 3.4 million tons of diesel, and 4.3 million tons of fuel oil last year.
Concurrently, drones launched a sustained assault on the Rostov region, with local monitoring channels and media outlet Astra reporting that unmanned aircraft circled Rostov-on-Don for over four hours amid gunfire and helicopter response activity.
Footage from the scene showed a damaged multi-story residential building with displaced window frames across several floors, while explosions were also reported in the vicinity of a local Ozon warehouse.
Subsequently, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that the Ryazan Oil Refinery, the Rostov-on-Don airfield, and three Russian air defense facilities had been struck.
“An oil refinery in Ryazan, Ryazan region, Russian Federation, has been struck. A fire has been reported on the refinery’s premises. The refinery is involved in supplying the Russian aggressor’s Armed Forces” .
Additionally, in the Rostov region of Russia, the “Rostov-on-Don” airfield was struck. A fire was reported in the vicinity of the facility.
Earlier strikes on Sochi depot
The overnight operations follow a wave of drone strikes on Sept. 4 that targeted the Black Sea resort city of Sochi and the nearby Sirius settlement in Krasnodar Krai.
During those attacks, drones struck Rosneft’s Adler oil depot, sparking a significant blaze, while additional strikes in Sirius reportedly targeted positions housing Russian S-300 or S-400 air defense systems near Krylya Baltiki beach.
The targeted zone sits several dozen kilometers from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Bocharov Ruchey residence, a property the Russian leader has reportedly avoided visiting amid recurring drone activity in the area.
Drone attacks earlier in the week also reached deep into Russian territory, targeting the Avangard defense plant in Sterlitamak, Republic of Bashkortostan, which manufactures explosives and ammunition components.
The broader campaign has created recurring disruptions around the Russian capital. On Sept. 4, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed air defenses downed 35 drones approaching the city, prompting Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency to temporarily halt flights at Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports for a third consecutive night.