Ukraine strikes major oil refinery in Russia’s Samara Oblast, hits elite Rubikon drone base
Ukrainian forces struck the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in Russia’s Samara Oblast and a drone storage site belonging to Russia’s elite Rubikon unit, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Nov. 16.
The Novokuibyshevsk refinery, operated by the Rosneft oil company, is one of Russia's 10 largest refineries, with an annual production capacity of 8.8 million metric tons of oil. The plant produces gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil, including jet fuel used by supersonic aircraft.
The refinery was targeted by Ukrainian forces, resulting in explosions and a fire in the area. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, the General Staff said. They also highlighted that footage of the strikes shows the launch of Ukraine's new "Bars" jet drones.
Russian air defenses reportedly intercepted 23 Ukrainian drones over Samara Oblast on the night of Nov. 16, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry.
Samara Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed an attack on the region’s infrastructure, stating that the strike was repelled.
According to the Ukrainian military news site Militarnyi, this marks the sixth Ukrainian attack on the same refinery. A previous strike, which occurred overnight on Oct. 18-19, led to the suspension of its operations.
A drone storage base operated by Russia’s Rubikon unit, along with a fuel and lubricants pumping station in the temporarily occupied Donetsk Oblast, was also hit.
The General Staff also provided an update on damage assessments from a recent strike on the Ryazan oil refinery, which occurred on Nov. 15. The attack damaged the ELOU-AVT-4 and ELOU-AVT-6 primary oil processing units, along with a fuel storage tank and pipeline trestles.
