Ukraine’s military said it carried out successful overnight strikes on the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region on December 28. A number of other targets in Russia and in occupied Ukrainian territories were also attacked.
Drones hit the Syzran refinery, sparking a fire, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.
The Syzran refinery is a major fuel facility operated by Rosneft and a key plant for the southern Volga region. It supplies the Samara, Saratov and Penza regions, as well as parts of central Russia.
The plant processes between 7 million and 8.9 million tons of crude annually.
Ukraine’s General Staff said the refinery is part of Russia’s energy support network and contributes to the aggressor’s military logistics. The extent of the damage is being assessed.
The Telegram channel Astra reported temporary power outages in Syzran. Unconfirmed reports suggested one of the refinery’s processing units caught fire.
Astra also noted that a flash seen in video footage resembled an impact on high-voltage infrastructure.
Local authorities did not confirm the attack. Russia’s Defense Ministry, however, claimed 12 drones were shot down over Samara region.
Separately, Ukraine’s Defense Forces said they struck:
- A storage and maintenance site for unmanned surface vessels near Chornomorske (Russia-occupied Crimea)
- A repair unit of the 1435th Motorized Rifle Regiment near Antratsyt (Russia-occupied Luhansk region)
- A pontoon crossing near Nykonorivka
- A storage site for Shahed-type drones in Makiivka, Donetsk region
The General Staff also confirmed earlier results from a strike on the LUKOIL-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery in Volgograd region, saying a petroleum products pipeline and a lubricants production unit were damaged.
Reports of explosions in Syzran, Samara region, emerged overnight. The drone attack targeted a large Rosneft refinery and local substations.
Earlier in December, drones had already attacked this refinery, triggering a fire after a series of blasts.
