Russian oil refinery reportedly attacked amid renewed Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure
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Editor's note: This is a developing story.
A fire reportedly broke out at the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery in Russia's Samara Oblast overnight on Oct. 30, following a suspected Ukrainian drone attack, according to footage published by Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+.
The channel published photos and videos submitted by local residents appearing to show widespread fires in the vicinity of the refinery, with reports of drones flying overhead.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the footage or establish the extent of the damage.
The reported attack is being called a ‘resumption of strikes’ on various monitoring channels, being the first after an unofficial pause on Ukraine’s campaign against oil refineries that began in mid-October.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 29 that Ukrainian military units conducting long-range strikes had informally suspended attacks on Russian refineries following pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
The cessation of refinery strikes in Russian territory was expected to continue until after the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, according to the report, which cited officials familiar with the operations.
The Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery is owned by Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft. This facility processes approximately 8.8 million metric tons of crude oil and produces aviation fuel, gasoline, diesel, lubricants and other petroleum products.
The refinery has been targeted in previous Ukrainian drone attacks, including one in August 2026.
Ukraine has engaged in a campaign to target Russian oil refineries, fuel depots and other energy infrastructure in an effort to impact fuel supplies to Moscow's military and reduce revenue used to finance Russia's full-scale invasion.
