Ukraine Resumes Strikes on Russian Oil and Energy Infrastructure

Ukrainian drones struck an industrial site near the Lukoil oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, renewing a campaign against Russia’s fuel and energy sector.

Local residents posted videos of the attack on regional Telegram channels.

The OSINT account Def Mon on X identified the impacted facility as a small plant named Bitumen Production, located adjacent to the refinery. Whether the plant was the intended target or the drones missed the refinery itself remains unclear.

Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the facility was damaged and reported a large-scale fire.

“Updated data indicate that bitumen production units with a total volume of 200 cubic meters are burning. A fire train has departed from Zeletsino station. More than 70 personnel and 26 equipment units are involved in firefighting efforts,” the ministry said.

This attack resumes the trend of Ukrainian attacks on the Russian fuel and energy industry after a prolonged pause.

On June 6, drones targeted the Kristall oil depot, operated by Russia’s Federal Agency for State Reserves (Rosrezerv), located in Engels. Jet fuel for Russian strategic aviation is stored at the facility.

The attack was viewed as part of a broader campaign against Russia’s long-range strike capabilities.

The June 7 incident, however, suggests a wider resumption of Ukrainian strikes on the Russian oil industry.

The last such attack took place on March 19, when drones struck the Kavkazskaya oil transshipment terminal in Krasnodar Krai. Kstovo has also been targeted previously — on the night of January 28–29, drones damaged oil storage tanks at the same refinery, sparking a large fire.

The Lukoil-Nizhny Novgorodnefteorgsintez refinery, located roughly 800 km from Ukraine’s border, is one of Russia’s largest oil processing facilities.