1,400 Kilometers: Ukrainian Drones Hit Salavat Refinery in Russia

A Ukrainian drone struck the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat oil refining facility in Russia, located about 1,400 kilometers from Ukraine.

The Exilenova+ channel published footage from local residents.

The refinery, situated in the Republic of Bashkortostan, was hit around 10 a.m. According to Exilenova sources, the ELOU-AVT-4 distillation unit was targeted.

Residents reported seeing a drone-like aircraft flying over the city. Monitoring resources of the enemy also tracked the drones overnight and recorded unidentified aircraft entering the republic’s airspace about an hour before the explosion.

Bashkortostan governor Radiy Khabirov confirmed the attack and claimed that two aircraft-type drones struck the site.

“Passive and active defenses were activated, and the facility’s security opened fire. We are assessing the damage. Firefighting is underway, and all services are on site,” he said.

If confirmed, the destruction of the ELOU-AVT-4 unit could have serious consequences. The unit handles primary purification of crude oil before further distillation and fraction separation, making it critical for production cycles.

Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat is one of Russia’s largest oil refining and petrochemical facilities, producing gasoline, diesel fuel and other petroleum products.

The plant’s design capacity is 10 million tons per year, though actual processing in 2022 was 6.8 million tons. The company’s structure includes refining and gas chemical plants, as well as the Monomer facility.

However, current capabilities may be different, as the refinery was previously targeted in May 2024, when a Ukrainian drone operated by the SSU flew more than 1,500 kilometers to strike the site.