Ukraine Intensifies Drone Strikes on Russian Oil Industry, Causing Fires at Key Facilities
november 4, 2025, 11:20 a.m – Ukrainian armed forces continued attacks on Russian oil industry targets in the hinterland, with authorities reporting multiple impacts and notable fires.
Ukraine targeted additional oil industry facilities in Russia with drone attacks. An explosion at a petrochemical plant in Sterlitamak, Bashkiria, in the Southern Urals resulted in three fires, as documented in available recordings. Governor radi Khabirov reported two drone attacks on an industrial complex in the city, located over 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
According to Khabirov, debris from downed drones fell onto the complex, but no casualties were reported. The Sterlitamak city administration stated a water treatment plant at the facility was partially destroyed.
A fire also broke out at an industrial facility near a Lukoil oil refinery and a petrochemical plant in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, on the Volga. The Lukoil plant is a major gasoline production facility in Russia, and eyewitnesses reported explosions on social media.
Russia’s leadership recently announced increased protection for oil refineries and other energy infrastructure in response to the escalating drone attacks. The Russian Defense ministry claimed to have shot down 85 Ukrainian drones overnight,but provided no information regarding hits or damage from the attacks.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted facilities within Russia as part of its defense against the ongoing Russian invasion, now in its fourth year. These attacks on oil industry facilities aim to disrupt supplies to the Russian military and hinder its war effort.
The strikes are impacting Russian trade, restricting exports of gasoline and diesel – key sources of revenue for the war. While acknowledging problems, Russian leadership maintains the situation remains under control and stable.
