Samara Region came under a drone attack on the morning of October 30, after which a major fire broke out at Rosneft’s Novokuybyshevsky oil refinery. Several columns of thick black smoke rose above the facility and were visible from the highway approaching the city.
Samara Region Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed the attack. “The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attack on our territory is being repelled. Air defenses and mobile fire teams are operating. Remain calm and stay in a safe place,” he said. There are no official details yet on the extent of the damage or any casualties.
Samara airport restricted flights
ASTRA reported that residents of Novokuybyshevsk reported explosions and air defense activity in the morning, while a drone threat was officially declared in the region at around 6:00, after the attack had already begun. ASTRA geolocated footage from eyewitnesses and confirmed that the fire started on the refinery’s premises. Samara airport temporarily restricted aircraft arrivals and departures.
Ukrainian monitoring channels reported at least 11 fire hotspots at the facility, but these reports have not been independently confirmed.
Fire Point claims strike with FP-1 drones
The Ukrainian drone manufacturer Fire Point said the facility had been hit by its long-range FP-1 drones and that one of the targets was a diesel fuel hydrotreating unit. According to ASTRA, the Novokuybyshevsky refinery also produces jet fuel for the needs of the Russian army.
This was the first known strike on a Russian oil refinery in nearly two weeks. The attack took place several hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that Kyiv had suspended strikes on Russian oil refineries under pressure from Washington. At the time of publication, Russia’s Defense Ministry had not reported how many drones had been shot down over the region.
