Fire reported at Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov Oblast amid alleged drone strike
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Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
A fire broke out at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov Oblast in the early hours of Dec. 19 following a mass drone and missile attack, Yuri Slyusar, acting governor of Rostov Oblast said.
Explosions initially rang out near the oil refinery just after midnight, the Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported, citing eyewitnesses. The outlet also posted video footage of the site in flames.
Slyusar wrote on Telegram that a fire had broken out at the refinery following a mass Ukrainian aerial attack which allegedly included "over three dozen" drones as well as three missiles.
Firefighters are currently on-scene attempting to extinguish the large blaze, Slyusar added.
The Kyiv Independent cannot verify any of the claims made by the official, and Ukraine has not yet commented on the alleged attack.
Shortly before reports began circulating of the strike on the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, Slyusar claimed that Russian air defenses shot down seven drones over the region.
The reported attack comes on the heels of an alleged strike on the Kamensky Combine, another Russian industrial facility in Rostov Oblast. Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's counter-disinformation center, said the site was attacked on Dec. 18.
The Kamensky Combine is one of the largest chemical plants in Russia. The facility produces rocket fuel, including fuel for intercontinental ballistic missiles, Kovalenko said.
Ukraine has previously targeted the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery with drone strikes. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces claimed that a July attack on the refinery destroyed 1.5 million tons of oil and oil products worth $540 million.
The refinery partially shut down after an attack in March.
Ukrainian forces regularly target Russian oil depots in addition to attacks on weapons factories and military air fields. Fossil fuel exports are the primary drivers of the Russian economy and the main source of revenue for the Kremlin's war machine.
