Ukraine confirms strike on oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region

The press service of the Ukrainian General Staff reported the information.

“On the night of March 10, an impact was recorded on the production facilities of the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery in the Samara region. Fuel from this refinery is transported through a system of product pipelines and railways to supply the enemy’s military group in the northern direction,” the statement says.

Earlier, Ukrainian media, citing sources in the special services, reported the strike on the refinery.

It was noted that the impacts were recorded at night and were heard in several districts of the city.

This facility is the most powerful oil processing enterprise among the Samara group of Rosneft refineries. The refinery produces a wide range of petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil, which are critically important for transport and military equipment.
It also manufactures fuel for jet engines of supersonic aircraft (Su-27, Tu-22M3, and others). The refinery’s design capacity exceeds 8.8 million tons of oil per year.

The attack on the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery was also confirmed by Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation. According to him, this refinery holds strategic significance for the Russian army as it ensures stable fuel supplies for military operations.

Earlier, Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, reported this on his Telegram channel.

"Preliminarily, Ukraine's Defense Forces attacked the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery in the Samara region. A flash was recorded at the facility," wrote Bratchuk.

The Telegram channel City of Novokuybyshevsk reported that there were several "pops" heard over the city at night.

"Tonight, the city could have been attacked, but there is no official information yet. It is known that around 02:40 a.m., several loud pops were heard. The sounds were heard in different parts of the city. Residents wrote that the walls and windows were shaking," the Telegram channel noted.

According to the Telegram channel Shot, citing local residents, the sound typical of a UAV was heard in the sky over the city before the explosion.

"A powerful explosion occurred near the local oil refinery. Eyewitnesses saw bright flashes in the sky. Preliminary reports suggest that one of Ukraine's UAVs was shot down as it approached the facility," added Shot.

Neither Russian officials nor Ukrainian military have officially commented on the alleged attack on the refinery.

On the morning of March 10, the Russian Ministry of Defense only claimed the successful operation of their air defense systems. According to their data, at least three drones were detected over the Samara region during the night.

"During the past night, air defense systems intercepted and destroyed nine Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles: three over the Samara region, two UAVs over the Voronezh and Oryol regions, and one each over the Belgorod and Kursk regions," stated the Russian Ministry of Defense.

At 7 a.m. Kyiv time, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that they were extinguishing a "fire at a storage facility" in the Samara region.

According to the ministry, a building covering 1,500 square meters caught fire on Molodogvardeyskaya Street in Novokuybyshevsk.

"Preliminarily, there are no casualties. A total of 87 personnel and 27 units of equipment from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations are working at the site," they added.

For reference, the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery is one of the main producers of high-grade jet engine fuel under the RT brand. It is designed for turbojet subsonic and some supersonic aircraft (such as Su-27, Tu-22M3, and others). About 20 types of products from the refinery are shipped to regions within Russia and abroad. The refinery is the most powerful oil processing facility among the Samara group plants of PJSC NK Rosneft. The refinery's designed processing capacity is over 8.8 million tons of oil per year.

• This oil refinery was already attacked a year ago, in March 2024.