Russia admits extensive drone strike on Nizhny Novgorod industrial facility, damaging oil refinery

Russian officials reported a large drone assault on an industrial site in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast overnight, with indications that a major oil refinery was among the targets.

Governor Gleb Nikitin announced on Telegram that a massive UAV strike had inflicted significant damage on an industrial facility in the Kstovsky district.

He stated that over 100 drones had been destroyed, adding that initial reports indicated no casualties and that emergency services were on site.

Nikitin warned that restoration efforts might cause temporary power outages and reduced hot‑water and heating supplies for some residential areas.

War‑monitoring channels on Telegram reported that the strike hit the Kstovo oil refinery, also called the Lukoil‑Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery, considered one of Russia’s biggest.

Lukoil stated that the facility produces diesel and aviation fuel, among other products.

Earlier this week, a large fire erupted at a Russian oil refinery in the Samara region after a drone strike, with dramatic photos and videos circulating on social media that showed towering plumes of black smoke.

That incident came after reports that Ukraine had temporarily halted strikes on Russian refineries, reportedly due to pressure from Washington, which has attributed rising global diesel prices to the attacks while attempting to deflect blame from its involvement in Iran.

Throughout the year, Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, focusing on oil refineries, terminals and depots to undermine a key Russian economic sector and weaken the Kremlin’s war effort.

The latest strike follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement that about 280,000 households lost power after Russian attacks on Friday night.

“Russian strikes have created a severe electricity supply crisis across our regions,” Zelenskyy posted on X on Saturday. He said roughly 200,000 households in Dnipro and its surrounding areas were without power, with an additional 80,000 or more in the Kyiv region also affected.

He added that Russian forces had targeted a combined heat and power plant in Kyiv and four electrical substations in the eastern Dnipro region, among other sites.

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