A fire erupted at an oil refinery in Syzran, in Russia’s Samara region, after a drone strike.
The Exilenova+ Telegram channel shared photos and videos from the scene.
Local residents reported hearing and seeing drones early Thursday morning, May 21. Soon after, videos began circulating online showing thick black smoke billowing from the refinery, visible from nearby residential areas.
Footage from the scene also shows flames rising from the facility. Early reports suggest that one of the refinery’s oil-processing units caught fire.
Syzran Oil Refinery
The oil refinery in Syzran is owned by Rosneft, one of Russia’s largest oil companies. The plant can process up to 8.9 million tons of crude oil per year and produces gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and bitumen.
The oil refinery supplies fuel to the Samara, Saratov, and Penza regions, as well as parts of central Russia.
The plant also provides fuel to airfields and military units of Russia’s Central and Southern Military Districts.
Drones operated by Ukraine’s Defense Forces have targeted the refinery several times before. In particular, following damage from a drone strike on December 5, 2025, the facility temporarily suspended oil processing operations.
As previously reported, Ukrainian strike drones also targeted the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez Refinery in Kstovo, Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, yesterday morning.
The drones struck the ELOU AVT-6 processing unit, triggering a fire at the facility.
In addition, Reuters reported that oil refineries in Moscow and Ryazan suspended operations following recent Ukrainian drone strikes.
