In the early hours of December 19, drones targeted an oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov oblast.

The Novoshakhtinsk Oil Products Plant was struck, causing a fire to break out at the facility.

Regional authorities confirmed the incident.

Videos and photos of the fire, captured by eyewitnesses, were shared on Russian Telegram channels and local community pages.

According to local residents, before the fire broke out at the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, it was attacked by “a large number of drones.”

An eyewitness told Astra that explosions were heard over the city for about 40 minutes at night, and small arms fire was also heard as the Russians tried to shoot down the drones.

Later, the acting governor of the Rostov oblast, Yuriy Slyusar, said that Russian air defense was operating not only over Novoshakhtynsk, but also over Taganrog and Bataysk.

The region was reportedly attacked by more than “30 UAVs and three missiles,” most of which were allegedly shot down.

Later, the acting governor confirmed that a fire had broken out at a petroleum products plant in Novoshakhtynsk as a result of a drone attack.

He stated in the morning that the fire at the refinery had been extinguished.

This is the fourth strike on this enterprise during the full-scale war with Russia. According to the Reuters news agency, as of mid-November, the Novoshakhtyn refinery was operating at only a fraction of its capacity.

As a reminder, on the night of December 13, 2024, attack drones hit a Russian oil depot near the city of Oryol, Oryol Oblast. The strike hit one of the tanks, causing a massive fire.