Drones strike last operational oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov Oblast

Russian authorities confirmed a massive drone attack on Rostov Oblast facilities last night, with strikes hitting Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery and reportedly targeting military airfields.

Dec 19, 2024 - 12:00

Drones strike last operational oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov Oblast

drones strike last operational oil refinery russia's rostov oblast novoshakhtinsk reference fire facility overnight 19 2024 russia russian authorities confirmed massive drone attack facilities night strikes hitting reportedly targeting military

Multiple drones struck targets in Russia’s Rostov Oblast overnight on 19 December, hitting an oil refinery and reportedly targeting military facilities, according to Russian officials and local sources. Videos showed the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery engulfed in a massive fire following the attack.

This year, Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone attacks against the military and fuel facilities within Russia, significantly disrupting fuel and ammunition supplies crucial for the Russian military. Many of such attacks targeted Russian bomb warehouses at airbases, ammunition depots, fuel processing and storage facilities deep inside Russia. Meanwhile, Russia continues its relentless nightly drone, missile, and bomb attacks on Ukraine, with strikes intensifying in recent months.

Novoshakhtinsk is situated less than 10 kilometers from Russia’s border with the occupied part of Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast and about 150 km away from the frontline. The Novoshakhtinsk oil products plant specializes in producing fuel oil, furnace fuel, marine and diesel fuel, and straight-run gasoline. It remained the only operational oil refinery in Rostov Oblast following previous attacks. The facility was targeted in June but has been repaired since then.

The attack on the region started last evening:

Ukrainian drones strike Rostov Oblast, targeting key military facilities

Past midnight on 19 December, Rostov Oblast’s acting Governor Yuri Slyusar confirmed that the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery caught fire after being hit during the attack.

“The fire at the Novoshakhtinsk oil products plant has been extinguished as of 06:45,” Slyusar claimed later.

Drone attack hit Russian oil refinery in Rostov Oblast's Novoshakhtinsk hit last night

Videos shared on Telegram showed large fires at the refinery, confirmed by acting Rostov Oblast governor Yuri Slyusar.

The Novoshakhtinsk refinery, the region's only operational oil… https://t.co/L3gebc6ye6 pic.twitter.com/6iDyJIrpd5— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) December 19, 2024

Around 1 a.m., the Russian pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Mash stated air defense systems were active for over three hours in the region, with at least nine targets destroyed.

“Drone fragments preliminarily fell on the territory of the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, causing a fire,” Mash wrote.

Eyewitnesses cited by the Russian news Telegram channel Astra described the incident:

“There was a sea of explosions… Periodic automatic gunfire, sounds of downed missiles.”

Slyusar claimed the region was targeted by more than 30 drones and three missiles, with air defenses activated over Taganrog, Bataysk, Rostov, Shakhty, Kamensk, Millerovo, and Novoshakhtinsk. One person was allegedly injured by falling drone fragments near Rostov.

According to VChK-OGPU, a Telegram channel linked to Russian security services, military airfields in Taganrog and Bataysk were among the targets.

The Russian Defense Ministry later claimed it had shot down 84 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions, including 36 over Rostov Oblast.

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