Overnight on November 1, drones attacked the city of Kstovo in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, home to the major Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery. Local residents reported numerous explosions, while several fires were observed at the facility.
Damage to an industrial facility in the Kstovo district was confirmed by Nizhny Novgorod regional governor Gleb Nikitin.
According to local authorities, the region came under a large-scale drone attack throughout the night and morning. The governor said more than 100 drones had been destroyed and that an industrial facility in the Kstovo district had sustained significant damage. Preliminary reports indicated no casualties.
Videos showing explosions and a huge plume of smoke following the attack on the Kstovo refinery circulated on social media. According to the Telegram channel Exilenova+, the fire may have broken out near the AVT-5 and AVT-6 units, a vacuum residue visbreaking unit, or unit 35/11-600. The exact location of the strike has not yet been established.
Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez is one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, producing fuels and lubricants. Its processing capacity is approximately 17 million tonnes of crude oil per year, or around 340,000 barrels per day.
The governor warned that repair work could lead to temporary power outages and disruptions to hot water and heating supplies in some areas.
The consequences of the attack and the extent of the damage to the facility are still being assessed. Meanwhile, queues have already formed at local petrol stations, with Kstovo residents rushing to buy up the remaining fuel supplies.
