Drone strike targets Russian refinery in Bashkiria, 1,400 km from Ukraine border

An oil refinery in the Russian Republic of Bashkiria, 1,400 km from the Russian-Ukrainian border, was attacked by a drone. Ukraine is blamed for the attack.

Russian propaganda agencies TASS and RIA Novosti write about this.

After the drone strike, smoke was present in one of the installations at the Gazprom Naftokhim Salavat enterprise, but the plant appears to be functioning as usual.

No casualties have been reported so far.

Russian Telegram channels write that locals heard the "characteristic sound" of the drone before the explosion.

It is worth mentioning that there have been reports today of several explosions and fires in Belgorod, a city in Russia. These incidents occurred on the night of May 9, and the cause has been identified as shelling. Before that, an air alert had been issued multiple times in the region due to a "missile threat".

Russia also complained about the drone attack on the Kuban oil base.

For reference:

On April 2, drones from Ukraine carried out their first attack on enterprises in the Republic of Tatarstan, located in the Russian Federation. The explosions could be heard in the special economic zone of "Alabuga," where various industrial and production companies are situated, approximately 1,000 kilometers away from the Ukrainian border.

The authorities in Tatarstan have officially confirmed the attack. Rustam Minikhanov, the so-called leader of the region, stated that there was an assault by drones on businesses located in Yelabuga and Nizhnekamsk.

The factory where the Shahed drones were assembled was the target of the attack, carried out by Ukrainian intelligence. According to Russian media, the drones also struck the dormitory where the factory employees resided, resulting in casualties. Additionally, another attack by Ukrainian drones hit a nearby oil refinery in Tatarstan, close to the exact location where the Shahed factory was attacked.

As Rubryka reported, in 2024, a total of 15 drone attacks targeted 13 oil refineries across nine regions in the Russian Federation. Out of these, eight facilities sustained significant damage.

The drone strikes on Russian refineries resulted in a 16.6% decrease in gasoline production and a 7.4% decrease in diesel fuel production at the end of March compared to last year.