A massive fire has broken out at an oil refinery in Russia after a reportedly Ukrainian drone attack, forcing a nearby maternity hospital to evacuate babies and patients. An oil refinery in Novokuybyshevsk, Samara region, was hit by a massive drone attack overnight, causing a massive fire and multiple explosions.
The attacks caused the roof of a local maternity hospital to collapse and windows to be broken, forcing the hospital to be evacuated. All children and patients have been shifted to nearby medical facilities. Russian Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed the drone activity and said no casualties were reported.
Dramatic footage from the site shows thick black smoke billowing from the oil refinery, with emergency service sirens blaring in the background.
In a night marked by widespread attacks on oil refineries, the Syzran refinery in the Samara region was also targeted. Several explosions have been reported here, it is believed that a fire broke out in the oil refinery.
Air defense activation was reported and a nearby reservoir was also set on fire. Russian Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev reported no casualties, but warned that the risk of Ukrainian drone strikes remained high.
The two targeted plants combined process more than 16 million tonnes of oil annually.
The Novokuibyshevsk Oil Refinery has a processing capacity of over 8.8 million tonnes of crude oil annually, while the Syzran Oil Refinery processes approximately 7 to 8.9 million tonnes of crude oil per year.
Further attacks were also reported in occupied Sevastopol, where a major fire broke out at an oil depot near Cape Manganari after an attack that lasted more than two hours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that Kiev believes Russia is planning to involve its ally Belarus in the four-year-old war.
“According to intelligence, road construction is underway in the areas leading to Ukraine and the installation of artillery in the Belarusian border area,” Mr. Zelensky wrote.
