Ukrainian drones struck one of Russia’s largest oil refineries overnight in the Ryazan region southeast of Moscow, Ukraine’s military said Friday.
Ryazan region Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed the attack, describing the targeted site as an “industrial enterprise.” He said eight drones had been shot down in the area and reported no casualties or damage to homes.
NASA’s fire monitoring system detected two active blazes at the Rosneft-operated Ryazan refinery. Eyewitnesses reported explosions around 2 a.m. local time, followed by flames and thick smoke on the city’s southern edge.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said nine of 92 Ukrainian drones launched overnight had been intercepted over Ryazan.
The refinery, among Russia’s five largest, was also attacked in early August, forcing Rosneft to cut production at the facility by around half. It processes between 13.7 million and 17.1 million tons of crude annually.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russia’s oil infrastructure in recent months, a key source of revenue for the war effort. A wave of strikes last month was estimated to have knocked out one-fifth of Russia’s refining capacity, or about 1.1 million barrels a day, contributing to soaring domestic fuel prices.
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