Ukrainian drones that attacked the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery (NPR) on the night of November 16 reached their target, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
The agency noted that “explosions and a fire were recorded” at the facility, with the extent of the damage still being clarified. The strike was carried out using Bars jet drones “as part of reducing the offensive potential of the enemy and complicating the supply of fuel and ammunition to Russian army units,” the General Staff added.
Commander of the Ukrainian Drone Forces Robert Browdy, Madyar, specified that the attack was conducted by his fighters with the participation of the Special Operations Forces and the Main Intelligence Directorate.
“This facility produces high-grade jet fuel as well as gasoline and diesel of all grades,” he noted.
The Novokuibyshevsk refinery, located in the Saratov region about 1,000 km from the Ukrainian border, belongs to Rosneft, has a capacity of 8.3 million tons per year, and produces over 20 types of products. Previously, the AFU attacked the refinery on October 19, temporarily halting its primary oil processing.
Since the beginning of the month, Ukrainian drones have disrupted operations at at least three Russian oil refineries. On November 11, the Saratov Rosneft refinery, with a capacity of 7 million tons per year, was completely shut down.
"In addition, the UAV storage base of the "Rubikon" unit and a fuel and lubricants pumping station in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region were struck. The results of the strike on the Ryazan refinery were also clarified: the ELOU-AVT-4 and ELOU-AVT-6 oil processing units, a petroleum products tank, and a pipeline rack were damaged,” the General Staff added.
