Ukrainian Drones Strike Syzran Refinery Again

Ukrainian drones have attacked the oil refinery in the Russian city of Syzran, located in the Samara region, for the second time this August. The refinery lies about 700 kilometers from Ukraine’s state border.

The Exilenova+ Telegram channel published eyewitness video footage of the attack.

According to the Russian Telegram channel Shot, citing local residents, about five explosions were heard in Syzran of the Samara region.

According to the published videos, Ukrainian strike drones hit the facility’s territory, after which smoke was seen. However, the exact outcome of the attack is currently unknown.

The governor of the Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, confirmed a drone attack on an ‘industrial facility in Syzran,’ though he did not specify which one.

The previous attack took place on the night of August 15th. As a result of that strike, several fires broke out on the grounds of the Syzran Refinery.

It was later revealed that Ukrainian strike drones had managed to hit a primary oil processing unit, which was a key component of the refinery.

Thanks to published photographs, analysts identified that the drones struck the ELOU-AVT-6 unit and additionally damaged several storage tanks. This unit carries out atmospheric and vacuum distillation processes, as well as secondary distillation and gasoline stabilization.

According to Reuters, the August 15th attack led to the Syzran Refinery halting both crude oil processing and intake. Industry sources reported that repair work would likely continue at least until the end of the month.

Syzran Refinery

The oil refinery in the city of Syzran is part of PJSC Rosneft Oil Company. Its capacity is 8.9 million tons of oil per year, and its products include gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, and bitumen.

The facility supplies fuel to the Samara, Saratov, and Penza regions, as well as partially to the central regions of Russia. The refinery also provides fuel to airfields and military units of the Central and Southern Military Districts of the Russian Federation.

The Syzran Refinery has previously been targeted by Ukrainian strike drones – notably in February and March of this year. Fires were also reported on the premises during those incidents.