Fire at oil pumping station in Russia’s Tambov Oblast after drone attack, monitoring channels say
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A fire reportedly broke out at an oil pumping station near the Russian city of Michurinsk in Tambov Oblast after an overnight drone attack on Oct. 20, according to Telegram monitoring channels.
Tambov Oblast governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said that a Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire "on the territory of one of the enterprises" in Michurinsky District but did not specify at which facility. He claimed that four drones in total were shot down overnight and in the morning of Oct. 20, mainly by mobile fire groups. He reported no casualties.
On video footage of the reported attack published by monitoring channel Exilenova+, a fire and dark smoke can be seen at what residents supposedly identified as a diesel fuel tank.
Independent Russian outlet ASTRA said the fire likely started at the Nikolskoye-1 linear production and dispatch station near the village of Novonikolskoye.
The Nikolskoye linear production and dispatch station is a major oil and petroleum facility, operated by Transneft as part of the Druzhba oil pipeline network. The station is located about 350 to 400 kilometers (about 220 to 250 miles) from the frontline in Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities did not yet confirm an attack. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify a fire at the station.
Ukraine attacked the station previously on Aug. 18, 2025. Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, who heads Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, then confirmed that drones of the 14th Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Unit attacked the Nikolskoye oil pumping station, which halted the operation of the Russian Druzhba oil pipeline.
The Druzhba pipeline, part of which crosses Ukraine, remains a key route for supplying Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia under an exemption from European Union sanctions imposed over Moscow's war in Ukraine.
