Ukrainian drones attacked six Russian regions overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday, with the main strike hitting the southern Samara region, where air defenses destroyed 12 drones.
The Rosneft-owned Syzran oil refinery as well as a nearby power substation were the apparent targets of the Samara attack, Russian pro-war and Ukrainian monitoring channels said.
Videos circulating online showed flashes and explosions near the site.
Authorities in Syzran declared a drone alert overnight, and air defense systems were activated.
State aviation authority Rosaviatsia temporarily halted flights at Samara’s Kurumoch airport under an emergency protocol.
Residents reported hearing up to six explosions followed by power outages in several districts of the city. Witnesses also reported seeing fire trucks heading toward the refinery.
The strike reportedly hit the ELOU-AVT-5 unit, a key installation used for crude oil preparation, desalting and primary distillation before deeper processing, the monitoring project Exilenova+ said.
One video showed a flash consistent with damage to a high-voltage facility.
Energybase data indicates the Syzran refinery operates three on-site substations.
Local authorities did not comment on the incident.
The refinery produces around 800,000 tons of gasoline and 1.5 million tons of diesel per year, supplying fuel to the Samara, Saratov and Penza regions as well as parts of central Russia.
Ukraine’s General Staff has previously said the facility also supplies fuel to the Russian military.
The Syzran refinery was previously targeted on Dec. 5, when drones damaged its AVT-6 primary processing unit, which accounts for about 70% of the plant’s capacity.
The refinery halted operations following that attack, Reuters reported, with one source saying repairs could last until the end of December.
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