Dozens of Ukrainian drones attacked Russia’s Samara region overnight on 22 September, regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said.
The Kuibyshev Oil Refinery in Samara was among the targets, according to Astra, which geolocated footage posted by eyewitnesses. A major fire broke out at the refinery following the attack.
The facility is owned by Rosneft and is considered one of the largest refineries in the region. It has a nominal processing capacity of 7 million tonnes of crude oil per year.
In 2024, the refinery processed 4.7 million tonnes of crude oil feedstock, producing 800,000 tonnes of petrol, 1.4 million tonnes of diesel fuel and 1.3 million tonnes of fuel oil.
The facility was previously targeted by drones in June this year and temporarily suspended processing following the attack, according to Reuters sources in the industry.
Since the beginning of 2026, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have carried out more than 70 strikes on Russian oil refineries, putting dozens of facilities out of operation. In August alone, six major refineries were shut down for repairs. According to EA Analytics, disruptions at refineries pushed Russia’s oil refining volumes to their lowest level since 2002. This, in turn, contributed to fuel shortages in the country and restrictions on fuel exports.
US President Donald Trump said that repeated Ukrainian attacks had disabled a significant share of Russia’s refining capacity, resulting in Russia “losing control” over its diesel production. Trump called for an end to the war in Ukraine, saying that the consequences of Russia’s aggression were affecting the entire world.
