Ukrainian drones hit major Russian oil refinery in Yaroslavl, sparking fire
One of Russia's largest oil refineries, Slavneft-YANOS in the city of Yaroslavl, was damaged and set on fire in a large Ukrainian drone attack overnight into Tuesday, 3 November, the regional governor said. Mikhail Evrayev said air defences repelled 124 drones aimed at the plant. Two refinery employees were taken to hospital with shrapnel wounds, and falling debris broke windows in homes and damaged cars.
A large Ukrainian drone attack overnight into Tuesday, 3 November, damaged one of Russia's biggest oil refineries, Slavneft-YANOS in the city of Yaroslavl, and started a fire at the site, regional governor Mikhail Evrayev said.
"Tonight, electronic warfare and air defence forces repelled a massive attack by enemy drones on the oil refinery in Yaroslavl. In total, 124 drones," Evrayev wrote on the Max messaging platform. "There is damage to the refinery's infrastructure. Emergency services are working to put out the fire."
Two refinery employees were taken to hospital with shrapnel wounds, the governor said. Debris from downed drones broke windows in several apartment blocks and private houses and damaged cars. Before the official statement, residents had posted photos and videos of explosions and of at least three separate fires in the industrial zone; the Russian independent outlet ASTRA used that footage to identify the burning plant as Slavneft-YANOS.
Slavneft-YANOS is one of Russia's five largest refineries. It has operated since 1961 and processes about 15 million tonnes of crude a year, roughly 300,000 barrels a day. The plant, about 250km north-east of Moscow, belongs to Slavneft, which is jointly controlled by Rosneft and Gazprom Neft. It makes gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, fuel oil and lubricants, supplying central and north-western Russia, including the Moscow region.
Ukraine has hit the refinery several times this year. According to Ukraine's General Staff, a strike on 17 September damaged its AVT-3 crude processing unit, which, according to ASTRA, accounts for about 40% of the plant's capacity and forced it to halt refining for a time. Ukraine's General Staff had not publicly commented on Tuesday's attack at the time of writing.
The strike continues a run of Ukrainian attacks on Russia's oil industry. According to The Moscow Times, Kyiv resumed strikes on Russian refineries in late October after a two-week pause, hitting the Novokuybyshevsk refinery on 30 October, a Bashneft refinery in Ufa on 31 October, Lukoil's refinery in Kstovo on 1 November and a major Transneft pumping station in the Samara region on 2 November.