Drone Strike Sparks Fire at Ryazan Oil Refinery

One of Russia’s largest oil refineries in Ryazan caught fire after a Ukrainian drone attack.

According to Exilenova+ and Astra, residents reported multiple explosions and drones flying over the city shortly after 2 a.m. on May 15.

Videos and photos shared by monitoring Telegram channels show flames and thick black smoke rising above the Russian oil refinery and the city of Ryazan.

Later, the governor of Ryazan region reported damage to an industrial facility and several residential buildings.

He said that three people were killed in the overnight attack, while another 12 were injured.

Ryazan Oil Refinery

The Ryazan oil refinery is part of Rosneft. It is one of the largest oil refining facilities in Russia, with a processing capacity of about 17 million tons of oil per year.

The oil refinery contains four primary crude oil processing units, along with facilities for vacuum gas oil hydrotreatment, cracking, catalytic reforming, and other refining processes.

The refinery produces all types of automotive gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, fuel oil, liquefied gases, bitumen, and petrochemical feedstock.

The facility is a major supplier of motor fuels for the regions around the Russian capital. It has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drones.

Strike on the gas processing plant

As previously reported, the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant, owned by Gazprom, had stopped producing motor fuel after a drone attack on May 13.

As a result of the strike, a large fire broke out at the Russian facility, leading to the shutdown of its main processing units.