Ukrainian Navy: Neptune Missiles Knock Out Two Units at Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery

A strike carried out with Neptune cruise missiles disabled two oil-processing units at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region, the Ukrainian Navy reported.

According to the Ukrainian Navy, the attack on the Russian refinery took place overnight on May 31.

Previously, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also confirmed the strike and reported the effects of a hit by a Neptune coastal missile system.

According to the military command, the attack put two atmospheric-vacuum crude oil distillation units out of operation, each with a processing capacity of up to 2.5 million tonnes of oil per year, and also damaged petroleum product storage facilities.

However, neither the Ukrainian Defense Forces nor Russian officials reported an attack on the Novoshakhtinsk refinery on May 31. In addition, monitoring channels did not publish any footage from the site.

The Ukrainian Navy described the refinery as a critical part of the region’s fuel infrastructure, saying it plays a significant role in supplying Russian forces with fuel and other petroleum products.

The oil refinery was commissioned in 2009 and became one of the first major oil refineries built in Russia in many years.

It is connected to trunk oil pipelines through the Transneft network and has rail links that facilitate the delivery of crude oil and the shipment of refined products. Finished products can be transported by rail or via waterways through a terminal on the Don River.

The facility had been targeted on multiple occasions before. Most notably, on December 25, 2025, Ukrainian Air Force aircraft targeted it using Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

The attack triggered a major fire on the refinery’s premises.