Ukrainian drones strike oil refinery in Russia’s Bashkortostan
Ukrainian drones struck Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat, one of Russia’s largest oil refining complexes, in Salavat, Bashkortostan, overnight on October 8, the Ukrainian monitoring Telegram channels Exilenova+ and Supernova+ reported.
Astra, an independent Telegram channel, reviewed photos and videos from eyewitnesses and concluded that the fire likely broke out on the grounds of Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat. Ukrainian drones have targeted the refinery more than once during the full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine.
Bashkortostan authorities declared an air raid alert overnight because of the threat of a Ukrainian drone attack. They have not reported on the aftermath of the attack.
In addition, “drone debris” fell on the grounds of a facility in Krasnodar, according to a local emergency response headquarters. Fragments of the drone damaged a building and sparked a fire. No one was injured, and the facility’s nature was not specified.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 399 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, occupied Crimea, and the Black Sea since the evening of October 7.
Drone strikes have forced Russian oil refineries to suspend or halt operations, contributing to a fuel crisis in Russia over the summer.
In early October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised that Ukraine would step up its attacks on Russian oil refineries. Russia’s Defense Ministry threatened to respond by expanding its strikes on targets in Ukraine.
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