Drones attack Novoshakhtinsk Refinery in Southern Russia
Drones attacked the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in southern Russia near the border with Ukraine, sparking a fire at the plant, writes Bloomberg.
The fire was extinguished at 4 a.m. local time, Rostov region Governor Vasily Golubev said on his Telegram channel Thursday. There were no casualties from the attacks, he added.
It’s unclear what damage the fire caused or how operations were affected at the refinery. The facility, which processed over 4.8 million tons of crude last year, or around 97,000 barrels a day, was the target of a drone strike earlier this year.
Since the start of 2024, Ukrainian drones have attacked several Russian refineries, with the aim of reducing fuel supplies to the Kremlin’s army on the frontline and slash Moscow’s oil revenue.
The attacks brought Russia’s average daily crude-processing volumes close to an 11-month low in April. The facilities have partly recovered their operations since then, but now seasonal maintenance is adding pressure.
Russia has been targeting major Ukrainian cities and the nation’s energy infrastructure with missile and drone strikes since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
