Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery halts operations after drone attack
The Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region has halted its primary oil processing operations following a drone attack.
As reported by Censor.NET, citing Reuters, the information was confirmed by two industry sources.
Russian authorities have not specified which facility was damaged. According to the sources, two key crude distillation units were shut down — AVT-11, with a capacity of nearly 19,000 tonnes per day, and AVT-9, with a capacity of about 4,700 tonnes.
Rosneft has not officially commented on the incident. The plant is expected to resume operations only in early November, Reuters reports.
The Novokuibyshevsk refinery is the largest and most technologically advanced facility within Rosneft’s Samara group. In 2024, it processed over 5.7 million tonnes of crude oil, producing more than one million tonnes of gasoline and over 1.6 million tonnes of diesel fuel.
Large-scale Ukrainian drone attacks have led to a fuel shortage in Russia and forced the country to restrict exports. Refining output is projected to decline at least until mid-2026, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) monthly report.
Meanwhile, Reuters notes that Moscow is improving its drone interception systems, which makes it more difficult for Ukraine to strike Russia’s oil infrastructure.
