Ukrainian Drones Hit Rosneft Oil Refinery Supplying Russian Military Airfields and Units

A fire broke out at the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region after a reported drone attack, according to the OSINT community Exilenova+ on May 21.

Local residents began reporting drone activity in the early morning hours, followed by images and videos showing thick black smoke rising above the facility. In one video, flames could also be seen at the site.

Preliminary reports suggest that one of the refinery’s oil-processing units may have caught fire after the attack.

The Syzran refinery is part of Rosneft and has an annual processing capacity of around 8.9 million tons of oil. Its products include gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, and bitumen.

The facility supplies fuel to Russia’s Samara, Saratov, and Penza regions, as well as parts of central Russia. It also reportedly provides fuel to airfields and military units belonging to Russia’s Central and Southern military districts.

The reported strike comes as Ukraine continues to intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries and fuel infrastructure, aiming to raise the economic and logistical cost of Moscow’s war and push the Kremlin toward meaningful negotiations.

Refineries remain among the most valuable targets in Russia’s war economy, supplying both civilian markets and military operations.

Last time, explosions were reported overnight in the Russian city of Syzran, Samara region, near a major oil refinery in the early hours of April 22.

Earlier, reports emerged that Ukrainian drone strikes have forced virtually all major oil refineries in central Russia to halt or reduce fuel production.

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