In Russia’s Rostov region, the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery — one of the largest in the country’s south — has been burning for a third day following an attack by Ukrainian drones.
This is confirmed by satellite images from NASA FIRMS and reports from local media, according to the Telegram channel Astra, cited by Ukrinform.
Residents of Novoshakhtinsk commented on the Telegram channel of the city’s mayor, Serhiy Bondarenko, complaining that the air is difficult to breathe due to the fire and that refinery workers are not being allowed to leave their posts despite the emergency.
On Friday, Bondarenko reported that nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide levels remained within regulatory limits, and radiation levels were also normal.
On Saturday afternoon, Bondarenko said firefighting efforts were ongoing and described the situation as “difficult,” later adding that by evening, due to a “shift in wind direction,” concentrations of hazardous substances in the air “could worsen,” according to The Moscow Times.
Early on August 23, Rostov region Minister of Housing and Communal Services Antonina Pshenychnaya reported that in Krasny Sulin, a town of 35,000 about 30 km from Novoshakhtinsk, water supply had been cut off to help manage the “emergency situation at one of the enterprises in Novoshakhtinsk.” She added, “Water supply will be restored after reservoir levels are filled and the pipeline is pressurized.”
The Novoshakhtinsk refinery, which began operations in 2009, accounted for 1.7% of Russia’s refining capacity before the Ukrainian drone attacks, producing 5.6 million tons of petroleum products. Ukrainian drones first targeted the facility in June 2022, and the latest strike, which caused the current fire, occurred overnight on August 21.
The Novoshakhtinsk refinery is at least the seventh refinery targeted by drones since the start of the month. As a result of several attacks, at least four major refineries — Novokuibyshevsk, Volgograd, Saratov, and Samara — have completely halted production, while half of the Ryazan refinery’s capacity (owned by Rosneft and supplying fuel to Moscow and the region) has also been stopped.
As reported, intensified drone attacks on Russian oil refineries in August have disabled one-seventh of the country’s refining capacity.
Source: One of Russia’s largest refineries ablaze for third day following drone attack
