Ukrainian drones strike Russian oil refineries, hitting critical infrastructure
Overnight, three refineries in the Samara region were targeted by drones operated by the Ukrainian Security Service, according to reports from Reuters and Ukrinform on Saturday.
5:12 AM EDT, March 17, 2024
Sources have confirmed the effectiveness of the nighttime operation against Russian refineries. Strike drones from the SBU successfully targeted three Rosneft oil refineries in the Samara region. These facilities, combined, handle approximately 27.6 million tons of oil annually, which represents nearly 10 percent of Russia's total oil processing capacity.
Two refineries hit by drone attack
The Baza channel reported that an unmanned aerial vehicle struck facilities in Syzran at 6 AM local time (11 PM Eastern Time), igniting a fire that spread over roughly 5382 square feet.
A refinery in Novokuibyshevsk was also a target of the attack, where a fire broke out but was subsequently extinguished.
"The SBU is persistently working to undermine the economic strength of the Russian Federation, a strategy aimed at curtailing its ability to conduct the war in Ukraine. The campaign against Russian refineries is intensifying. Each successful attack reduces the flow of petrodollars that support Russia's war economy," – states Ukrinform.
These incidents are part of a series of recent drone strikes on Russian refineries. Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) sources disclosed on Friday that Ukrainian drones had also targeted a refinery in Kaluga Oblast, close to Moscow. Earlier in the week, drone strikes hit the Oil Products Plant in Novoshakhtinsk in the Rostov Oblast and refineries in Ryazan, Kstovo in the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, and Kirishi in the Leningrad Oblast.
