A Lukoil oil refinery in the Russian oblast of Nizhny Novgorod was struck by multiple Ukrainian drones in the early hours of Jan. 29, a military intelligence (HUR) source told the Kyiv Independent.
Drone strikes were reported by local officials across several Russian regions overnight, including the Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Tver, and Bryansk oblasts, causing fires and prompting air defense responses.
According to the HUR source, the Lukoil oil depot in the city of Kstovo was targeted by four drones, all of which struck their target and caused "significant damage."
They added the refinery "supports the activities of the Russian occupation forces" and was "attacked at around midnight local time."
The refinery is located around 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The Lukoil refinery of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod, in Russia has been severely hit by UAVs. Flames are consuming large parts of the facility, which processes annually 15 million tons of crude oil. It is the forth largest refinery in Russia in terms of production. pic.twitter.com/ZAhUTpbDqL
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) January 29, 2025
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims, but overnight local Telegram channels reported that drones targeted the Lukoil Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery, resulting in a large fire.
Video footage circulating online showed flames at the facility, which local monitoring channels identified as the likely target of the attack.
Governor Gleb Nikitin confirmed that air defense systems had shot down multiple drones, and fragments from the intercepted UAVs fell on the industrial site. No injuries were reported.
Kyiv considers oil refineries to be valid military targets, as profits from the fossil fuel industry fund Russia's war machine.
Earlier this week the Ryazan Oil Refinery in Russia suspended operations due to damage from Ukrainian drone attacks, Reuters reported, citing two industry sources.
Ukraine confirmed hitting the plant in an overnight drone strike on Jan. 24.
In the Smolensk region, Governor Vasily Anokhin on Jan. 29 reported a "massive drone attack" on civilian infrastructure. One drone was intercepted while attempting to strike a nuclear energy facility.
Nearby, air defenses also destroyed several drones around the town of Andreapol, home to approximately 8,000 people, in the Tver region, according to the local governor.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced that air defense systems had shot down 26 drones in the Bryansk region.
Bryansk lies west of embattled Kursk Oblast, north of Ukraine's Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, and east of the Belarusian border.
Olga Rudenko
(Updated: )
