Ukrainian Drone Attack Sparks Fire at Major Rosneft Refinery in Russia’s Samara Region

A fire broke out at the Kuibyshev Oil Refinery in Samara following an overnight Ukrainian drone attack on September 22, with preliminary analysis indicating that one of the facility’s processing units was hit, according to Russian media outlet ASTRA.

Residents of Russia’s Samara region reported hearing explosions overnight. An analysis of eyewitness footage by ASTRA indicated that the Kuibyshev refinery had been struck, with a fire subsequently breaking out at the facility.

Samara region Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed the attack, saying that an industrial facility had been targeted.

“The enemy targeted industrial enterprises. Civilian facilities were also damaged, including private homes and vehicles,” Fedorishchev said.

Separately, Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi, citing its analysis of available footage, reported that the refinery’s AVT-5 unit was preliminarily identified as the site of one of the strikes. Several other fires were also observed across the refinery’s territory.

The Kuibyshev Oil Refinery is one of the leading refineries in Russia’s Volga region. Located in Samara, the facility is part of Rosneft’s vertically integrated structure.

According to Militarnyi, together with the Novokuibyshevsk and Syzran refineries, it forms Rosneft’s Samara group of refineries. The facilities within this refining hub process oil produced by the company, including crude extracted in Western Siberia and the Samara region.

The Kuibyshev refinery has a design capacity of around 7 million tons of crude oil per year, although its actual processing volumes have remained lower in recent years. In 2024, the refinery processed 4.7 million tons of crude oil, equivalent to approximately 94,400 barrels per day.

The reported strike comes a day after Ukrainian drones attacked the Bashneft refinery complex in Ufa on September 21, targeting a major Russian oil processing hub approximately 1,600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

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