Ukrainian Drones Attack Russia’s Fourth-Largest Oil Refinery

Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s fourth-largest oil refinery — the Lukoil refinery in Kstovo, Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, about 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Residents reported the attack on local Telegram channels.

They said they had heard several explosions near the refinery and later shared videos showing a fire at the site. The extent of the damage remains unclear.

The governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region confirmed the incident, saying that “air defense forces successfully repelled the attack of five UAVs.” He said there were no casualties or damage, according to preliminary information.

The Lukoil refinery in Kstovo processes a mix of oil from Western Siberia and Tatarstan. Crude is supplied via the Almetyevsk–Nizhny Novgorod and Surgut–Polotsk pipelines.

Finished products are shipped by rail, road, river, and pipeline. With an annual processing capacity of 17 million tons, the facility is the fourth-largest refinery in Russia.

At the end of 2022, the refinery launched a new oil residue processing complex, increasing Euro-5 diesel output by 1.1 million tons a year.

A year earlier, in 2021, it introduced a Penex isomerization unit designed to convert light gasoline fractions into high-octane components, doubling gasoline production to about 800,000 tons a year.

The plant is also a key producer of feedstocks for asphalt and polymer production.

A Ukrainian drone attack in June 2025 on an industrial zone near the Lukoil refinery in Kstovo marked the start of a summer campaign of strikes on Russia’s fuel and energy infrastructure.

By late September, almost 40% of Russia’s refining capacity had been taken offline, largely due to repeated attacks by Ukrainian long-range drones.

During the June attack, the nearby Bitumen Emulsion Plant, which produces bitumen, was hit. It remains unclear whether the facility was the intended target or if the drones missed the refinery.