Russian Oil Refinery, Military Electronics Plant Hit in 326-Drone Overnight Barrage

Ukraine launched a large-scale overnight strike on targets deep inside Russia early Wednesday, with explosions reported at a major oil refinery in Samara and a military electronics plant in Cheboksary linked to the production of equipment used in Shahed drones and Russian missiles.

Authorities in Russia’s Samara region declared a missile alert overnight, urging residents to take shelter. While Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev did not report any damage, footage reviewed by Russian independent outlet Astra showed explosions and a fire at the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara.

The Rosneft-owned facility is one of the largest oil-processing plants in the region. It previously halted operations after a drone strike in April and was also targeted in January.

In the Chuvash Republic, officials confirmed a missile attack on the city of Cheboksary. Regional head Oleg Nikolayev said authorities were assessing casualties and infrastructure damage.

According to Astra, the strike targeted the VNIIR-Progress plant, a key supplier of Kometa antennas used to shield Russian drones from Ukrainian electronic warfare systems.

Ukraine’s General Staff has previously said the facility also manufactures satellite receivers and navigation antennas for GLONASS, GPS and Galileo systems.

Kometa modules produced by the plant are used in Shahed loitering munitions, Iskander ballistic missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and guided aerial bombs.

Other Topics of Interest

Russian Forces Strike Kharkiv 26 Times at Dawn, Injuring Civilians

Russian forces carried out 26 strikes on Kharkiv in the early hours of Wednesday, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing local officials. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said around 20 strikes hit the Kholodnohirskyi district within minutes, causing fires and injuring people.

Missile alerts were also declared overnight in the Kurgan, Chelyabinsk, Sverdlovsk and Penza regions, as well as the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district.

Separately, drones struck Russia’s Vladimir region, causing fires at two infrastructure sites, Governor Alexander Avdeyev said. No casualties were reported.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defenses shot down 12 drones approaching the capital early Wednesday.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed air defenses intercepted and destroyed 326 Ukrainian drones over 20 regions overnight. The ministry did not report any missile interceptions.