Ukraine war latest: Russian oil refinery in Kstovo ablaze after reported overnight drone strike

Key developments on Oct. 31-Nov. 1:

• Russian oil refinery in Kstovo ablaze after reported overnight drone strike
• Russian airstrike destroys Kramatorsk city council building that survived 2014 occupation
• Russian attack hits Kyiv energy facility, leaving parts of the city without power and water
• Ukraine hits plant producing fuel for Russian multiple-launch rocket systems in Rostov Oblast, military says
• Oleshky residents reach Ukrainian-controlled territory after escaping Russian occupation

A major Russian oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, was reportedly targeted in a drone attack overnight on Nov. 1, according to Ukrainian monitoring channels.

The Exilenova+ and Supernova+ Telegram channels published reports and footage of the alleged attack on the NORSI, or the Lukoil-Nizhegorodorgsintez refinery.

The reports could not be immediately verified by the Kyiv Independent.

NORSI refinery is Russia's fourth-largest oil refinery and second-largest gasoline producer, processing around 15-17 million metric tons of crude annually. It also produces bitumen, as well as diesel and aviation fuel used to support Russian forces.

The refinery is approximately 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Ukraine has targeted the facility a number of times, including a confirmed strike on Aug. 26 that sparked a large fire. The NORSI suspended operations due to damaged sustained in that attack.

Since the beginning of 2026, Ukraine has engaged in a sustained campaign of long-range drone strikes on Russian energy facilities, focusing on oil refineries and fuel depots, which are critical to sustaining Russia's war effort.

Russian airstrike destroys Kramatorsk city council building that survived 2014 occupation

A Russian airstrike destroyed the Kramatorsk City Council's executive committee building in Donetsk Oblast on Oct. 31, local authorities reported.

The building, located on Peace Square in central Kramatorsk, survived the city's occupation by Russian-backed militants in 2014 and its subsequent liberation by Ukrainian forces.

"An hour ago, Russia destroyed the central building of Ukrainian statehood in Kramatorsk with an airstrike," Oleksandr Honcharenko, head of the city's military administration, wrote on Facebook, referring to the city council's executive committee.

Honcharenko described the building as a symbol of the city's history and identity.

"They can destroy a building, scorch our land and steal our memories. But they cannot destroy our right to a future," he wrote.

The building had previously sustained damage during a Russian airstrike on the city centre in March 2026.

Information about casualties from that strike was not immediately available.

Russian attacks elsewhere in Kramatorsk on Oct. 31 also injured civilians, according to Suspilne.

Kramatorsk, a major Ukrainian-held city in Donetsk Oblast, has faced increasingly frequent Russian attacks as Moscow's forces continue their offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Russian attack hits Kyiv energy facility, leaving parts of the city without power and water

A Russian attack struck an energy facility in Kyiv on the evening of Oct. 30, leaving parts of four districts without electricity, Ukrainian energy company DTEK reported.

Ukraine's capital is home to more than 3 million people, roughly the same population as Berlin.

The outages affected the Obolonskyi, Darnytskyi, Desnianskyi and Podilskyi districts, according to a statement from DTEK.

Kyiv Independent staff in the capital reported explosions and widespread fluctuations in power, with some buildings and streetlights temporarily losing electricity.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that there were problems with the water supply in the city after three drone strikes hit critical infrastructure facilities, posting that the Left Bank of the city was without water.

The full extent of the damage remains unclear. There were no immediate confirmed reports of casualties from the latest attack.

The incident follows Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv overnight on Oct. 29–30 that killed at least one person and damaged residential and commercial buildings.

The overnight attacks also left approximately 350,000 residents in and around Dnipro without electricity.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure as the country prepares for winter, damaging power facilities and forcing emergency electricity restrictions.

Ukraine hits plant producing fuel for Russian multiple-launch rocket systems in Rostov Oblast, military says

Ukrainian drones and Neptune cruise missiles targeted the Kamensky Factory, one of the largest chemical plants in Russia, in Rostov Oblast overnight on Oct. 31, the General Staff reported.

The plant, located in the Russian city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, some 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) east of the Ukrainian border, produces solid rocket propellant for the Uragan, Smerch, and Tornado-S multiple-launch rocket systems, as well as other missile systems and aircraft weapons.

The Kamensky factory has been sanctioned by the E.U., U.K., and U.S. for its role in Russia's war against Ukraine.

According to the Ukrainian military, the attack caused a fire at a warehouse storing finished products and damaged four production units.

"Strikes on solid rocket propellant production facilities reduce the Russian army's ability to attack Ukrainian settlements with multiple-launch rocket systems," the General Staff said.

Ukrainian forces also struck four Russian military supply depots near Russian-occupied Khartsyzk and Dokuchaievsk in Donetsk Oblast, Novovasylivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Novoaidar in Luhansk Oblast.

The Kyiv Independent couldn't independently verify the reports. Russian officials haven't commented on the General Staff's statement.

The reported attack comes as Ukraine has intensified its long-range strikes inside Russia and across Russian-occupied territories since the summer, hitting targets such as oil refineries, military-industrial plants, and airfields, aimed at degrading Russia's military-industrial capacity.

Earlier in the week, Ukraine reported on Oct. 26 hitting the territory of the Energia plant,  the sole Russian manufacturer of batteries for glide bomb guidance and correction modules.

Oleshky residents reach Ukrainian-controlled territory after escaping Russian occupation

CHERNIHIV OBLAST — Evacuees from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky have reached Ukrainian-controlled territory on Oct. 31 after an arduous 19-hour journey.

The city's residents, who had been trapped in a worsening humanitarian crisis for months on end, arrived to an emotional reception at the border crossing with Belarus by relatives, health workers with ambulances, aid organizations, police, and media.

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the mission was successful, thanking all parties involved, including U.S. First Lady Melania Trump.

"When there is the attention of the world, there is the salvation of people," Zelensky wrote.

"Further de-escalation steps and a real approach to peace are also needed."

In recent months, Oleshky residents faced severe shortages of food, drinking water, electricity, and medical supplies. Russian forces had effectively blockaded the town, preventing humanitarian organizations from delivering aid.