A huge fire has erupted at a oil refinery in Russia following a reported Ukrainian drone attack, with a nearby maternity hospital foced to evacuate children and patients. A large-scale drone strike hit an oil refinery in Novokuybyshevsk, in the Samara region, overnight, triggering a major fire and multiple explosions.
The attacks led to a ceiling collapse and windows to shatter at a local maternity hospital, prompting its evacuation. All children and patients have been transferred to nearby medical facilities. Russian governor Vyacheslav Fedoryshchev confirmed the drone activity and stated that no casualties have been reported.
Dramatic footage from the site shows thick black smoke billowing from the oil refinery, with emergency service sirens wailing in the background.
In a night marked by widespread strikes on oil refineries, the Syzran refinery, also in the Samara region, was also targeted. Multiple explosions were reported here, with the oil refinery believed to be on fire.
An air defence activation was reported and a nearby reservoir was also alight. Russian governor Vyacheslav Fedoryshchev reported no casualties but warned that the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks remains high.
The two targeted plants combined process over 16 million tons of oil annually.
The Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery has a processing capacity of more than 8.8 million tons of crude oil annually, while the Syzran Oil Refinery processes roughly 7 to 8.9 million tons per year.
Further strikes were also reported in occupied Sevastopol, where a large fire broke out at an oil depot near Cape Manganari following an attack that continued for over two hours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday said Kyiv believed Russia was making plans to involve its ally Belarus in the four-year-old war.
“According to intelligence, road construction in areas leading to Ukraine and the establishment of artillery positions are going on in the Belarusian border area,” Mr Zelensky wrote.
