The Ukrainian Defense Forces strike drones struck an oil refinery in the city of Kstovo in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region.
According to Astra, the attack was recorded on the morning of May 20, 2026. A drone alert had been issued earlier, at 2:25 a.m., before the strikes were reported.
According to an analysis by the Exilenova+ Telegram channel, based on available photos and videos, the drones struck the ELOU AVT-6 processing unit, causing a fire at the facility.
Despite the fire, Gleb Nikitin, the governor of Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, did not comment on the consequences of the strike or provide any information about the incident.
The Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery is one of the largest oil-processing plants in Russia. It is located near the city of Kstovo at coordinates 56.13278210600415, 44.1796687086928.
According to official figures, the refinery has a processing capacity of 17 million tons of oil per year. In 2022, it processed 15.7 million tons of crude oil.
This refinery accounts for about 5% of Russia’s total oil-processing capacity, making it the country’s fourth-largest oil refinery by output.
The refinery in Kstovo was previously attacked on May 18, 2026.
Additional attacks were reported on April 5, 2026, as well as several times in 2025: November 4, October 16, October 1, and January 29.
During the November 4, 2025, attack, a fire broke out in the southeastern part of the industrial zone, where two facilities are located side by side — SIBUR-Kstovo and Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez.
The SIBUR-Kstovo petrochemical plant officially produces ethylene, propylene, benzene, and several hydrocarbon fractions.
