Overview
- Multiple news and OSINT channels reported that drones attacked the Lukoil‑Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery in Kstovo on Wednesday night, causing fires in the south‑west section of the site.
- Local governors said falling drone debris ignited two industrial objects at the Kstovo complex, emergency crews were working to contain blazes, and no casualties were reported in initial accounts.
- OSINT analysts identified the likely hit as the ELOU‑AVT primary crude‑processing unit, which is the refinery's main installation for preparing and separating crude into base products.
- The Russian Ministry of Defence said air‑defence forces intercepted and destroyed 273 drones across many regions during the operation, while regional authorities moved schools to remote learning as a precaution.
- The Kstovo refinery has been targeted repeatedly since August 2025, and repeated strikes on the ELOU‑AVT unit raise risks of longer production interruptions that could affect fuel supplies to the Moscow region.