Major fire reported at oil terminal linked to Russia's Novoshakhtinsk refinery after suspected drone strike
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A large fire broke out at an oil-loading terminal in Russia's Rostov-on-Don overnight on Oct. 9–10 amid a reported drone attack, according to footage published by the Exilenova+ monitoring channel.
An OSINT analyst with the independent Russian outlet ASTRA identified the burning facility as the Yug Rusi oil-loading terminal in Rostov-on-Don's Zheleznodorozhny district, based on footage supplied by local residents.
The terminal handles petroleum products for export, including shipments from the Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery, which belongs to the Yug Rusi group of companies.
Videos circulating on multiple accounts on Telegram appeared to show large flames and thick smoke rising from the site. Exilenova+ later reported that the terminal was still burning.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the footage or determine the extent of the damage.
Russian regional authorities acknowledged a fire and reported that air defenses were operating, but did not confirm damage to the terminal, and Ukrainian military officials had not claimed responsibility for the reported attack.
ASTRA also reported damage to a residential building in Rostov-on-Don's Donskaya Sloboda complex, identifying its location through footage posted by residents. It remained unclear what struck the building amid reports of continued drone activity and Russian air defense operations.
The Yug Rusi oil-loading terminal is separate from the Novoshakhtinsk refinery's main processing facilities. According to the refinery's published specifications, its Rostov-on-Don terminal has an annual capacity of 3.5 million metric tons for receiving and shipping petroleum products.
The reported attack follows a Ukrainian strike on the Novoshakhtinsk refinery on Sept. 25, which sparked a fire at the facility, according to Ukraine's General Staff.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil refineries, storage depots and fuel infrastructure in recent months in an effort to disrupt fuel supplies to the Russian military and reduce Moscow's energy revenues.
U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil facilities, arguing that the attacks contribute to rising global diesel prices.
Zelensky has said Ukraine is prepared to stop targeting Russian energy facilities if Moscow agrees to halt its own attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, insisting that any pause must be reciprocal.
