Overnight on November 15, Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russia’s Ryazan region, deploying dozens of UAVs. The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted 25 drones in the area. Local authorities reported that falling debris caused a fire “on the territory of one enterprise.”
The Telegram channel “Astra” said the blaze broke out at the Ryazan Oil Refinery. Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said there were no injuries and that damage was being assessed, while reminding residents that posting photos and videos of the attack’s aftermath is prohibited.
Despite the ban, footage showing a glow over the facility circulated online.
Andriy Kovalenko, who heads Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, claimed the Ryazan plant will “suspend operations,” following a strike a day earlier on the Saratov refinery.
Ukrainian Forces struck the Ryazan Oil Refinery, a Nebo-U radar station, a military train and several areas of enemy troop concentration, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Saturday, November 15.
Media and social networks had reported the strikes earlier; the General Staff has now issued confirmation.
“The products of this refinery include A-92/95/98/100 gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, liquefied gases and other petroleum products. The facility produces an average of 840,000 tons per year of TS-1 aviation kerosene, which is also used by the Russian occupiers’ Aerospace Forces. Multiple explosions and a significant fire at the site were recorded,” the statement reads.
The Nebo-U radar was hit in Russian-occupied Crimea, the military train near Tokmak in the Russian-occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, and the concentration of enemy personnel near Vovchansk in the Russian-occupied part of Kharkiv region.
“The Defense Forces continue to take all measures to undermine the military-economic and offensive potential of the Russian occupiers and to force Russia to end its armed aggression against Ukraine,” the General Staff said.
The previous attack on the Ryazan region came overnight on October 23. At the time, the governor similarly reported a fire at “one of the enterprises.” Telegram channels asserted the target was the Ryazan Oil Refinery — the largest in Central Russia, which supplies fuel to Moscow and the Moscow region, with most of its output exported. The refinery accounts for nearly 5% of all oil processing in Russia.
In addition to the Saratov refinery strike on November 14, Ukrainian drones damaged the Sheskharis oil transshipment complex in Novorossiysk. After that strike on one of Russia’s key export hubs, global oil prices jumped sharply.
