Ukrainian drones struck the Nizhny Novgorod oil refinery in Kstovo, approximately 520 miles from the front lines in northern Ukraine. The attack caused a significant fire, described by Ukraine’s General Staff as “powerful,” which burned into the early morning hours. The refinery, one of Russia’s largest, processes an estimated 13 million barrels of oil annually, amounting to roughly 5% of the country’s total refinery output.
Ukraine has successfully hit another Russian oil refinery, this time in Kstovo, Nizhni Novgorod region on the Volga. This refinery’s capacity was 15,7m tons per year or 5% or Russia’s total oil refining capacities. pic.twitter.com/nUwOthfSPz
— Sergej Sumlenny, LL.M (@sumlenny) January 29, 2025
The strike on the Kstovo facility marked the third attack on a major Russian oil refinery in a week. Ukraine has successfully targeted the Ryazan oil refinery in western Russia and the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Rostov Oblast just this last week. The collective output of the 3 facilitates equates to 15% of Russia oil refinement.
🚨 Russia’s largest refinery in Ryazan halts operations after drone attacks, Reuters reports.
Ryazan processes ~5% of Russia’s oil. pic.twitter.com/e3KhubaUu0
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) January 27, 2025
The Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery (7.5M tons/year capacity) has halted operations due to Ukrainian attacks, reports Andriy Kovalenko from the Center Countering Disinformation in Ukraine. After initially scaling down, the plant is now completely shut down due to equipment damage. pic.twitter.com/iZppnnVo1h
— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) January 30, 2025
Reports from Reuters indicate that in response to the refinery strikes, Russia launched retaliatory drone attacks against various Ukrainian cities.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Ukraine deployed 104 drones in overnight strikes across western Russia, primarily targeting power and oil infrastructure. Among the locations reportedly targeted was the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant, the largest power-generating facility in northwestern Russia.
Smolensk Governor Vasily Anokhin stated that a drone was intercepted while attempting to strike the plant, and Russian state news agency RIA Novosti confirmed that the facility continued to operate normally. No casualties or damage were reported.
Since the beginning of 2024, Ukraine has conducted more than 80 drone strikes against Russian oil refineries and fuel depots, according to industry reports. The cumulative impact of these strikes is believed to have contributed to a decline in Russia’s average daily crude oil production, reaching its lowest level in two decades. The attacks have also raised ire within Russian civilian and military circles, as popular Russian military bloggers have criticized what they perceive as inadequate air defense measures around key strategic sites.
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While refineries can be repaired, Ukraine’s ability to launch repeated strikes remains a significant factor in the ongoing conflict. The cost of rebuilding damaged oil infrastructure far exceeds the expense of producing and deploying drones, making Ukraine’s long-range drone strategy an economically viable means of targeting Russia’s wartime economy. Russian authorities have not yet provided a full assessment of the damage to the Kstovo refinery or the potential impact on its operational capabilities.
