Three Strikes, Hundreds of Miles Apart: Drones Torch Key Russia’s Oil and Petrochemical Facilities

Long-range drones struck three major energy facilities overnight, hitting oil depots in occupied Simferopol and Hvardiiske in Crimea and setting ablaze refineries in Russia’s Ulyanovsk and Stavropol regions, Crimean Wind and Astra reported on October 29.

The attacks triggered massive fires and disruptions across hundreds of miles, signaling that Kyiv’s drone campaign is now targeting the depth of Russia’s fuel infrastructure.

Drone strikes ignite Russian oil depots in occupied Crimea

Explosions and large fires broke out at two oil depots used by Russian forces in occupied Crimea—one in Simferopol and another in Hvardiiske, according to the monitoring group Crimean Wind.

Videos showing thick smoke and burning storage tanks after Ukrainian drones reportedly struck the facilities around 7 am on October 29.

Russian occupation officials later confirmed that a fuel reservoir in Simferopol had caught fire “as a result of a drone strike.”

The site had seen a steady flow of military fuel trucks in recent days and is known to supply the Russian army’s logistics network on the peninsula.

A second strike hit another depot in Hvardiiske, owned by Kedr LLC, operator of the region’s largest gas station chain, ATAN.

Witnesses reported a powerful explosion followed by flames visible from nearby settlements. The same depot had already been hit on October 17, when fires burned for several days, and satellite imagery showed at least five fuel tanks destroyed.

Drones hit NS-Oil refinery in Russia’s Ulyanovsk region

Dozens of miles east of Moscow, Ukrainian drones also targeted the NS-Oil refinery in the settlement of Novospasskoye, Ulyanovsk region, Russian outlet Astra reported.

Governor Aleksei Russkikh confirmed the attack, saying that “enemy drones” were intercepted but that debris caused a fire at the site. Residents reported hearing between five and eight explosions overnight from October 28–29.

Videos circulating on Russian social media showed flashes and a column of smoke rising from the facility.

The NS-Oil plant produces gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil with an annual capacity of roughly 600,000 tons. While regional authorities downplayed the damage, satellite footage and eyewitness accounts suggest a significant fire erupted after the strike.

Strike sparks fire at Stavrolen petrochemical plant

Another major incident occurred in Budennovsk, Stavropol region, where drones reportedly hit the Stavrolen petrochemical complex—one of Russia’s largest producers of low-pressure polyethylene, Astra added.

The plant’s products are officially civilian, but materials like polyethylene are also used for military applications, including insulation for cables and components in drones, missiles, and electronic warfare systems.

Regional governor Vladimir Vladimirov claimed that the attack had been “neutralized by electronic warfare and air defenses,” insisting that no serious damage or casualties occurred.

However, Astra published footage showing flames at the site shortly after the strike.

The Stavrolen plant, which produced its eight-millionth ton of polyethylene in 2021, lies roughly 300 kilometers from Ukraine’s border and 450 kilometers from Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Earlier, the Ryazan oil refinery, Russia’s fourth-largest, halted its main crude distillation unit following a Ukrainian drone strike.

According to the report, the CDU-4 primary processing unit was shut down after a fire broke out as a result of the attack. Several related units, including reforming, vacuum gasoil hydrotreating, and catalytic cracking, were also temporarily shut down.

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