Russian regional authorities reported a large-scale drone assault overnight that targeted an industrial enterprise within the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Gleb Nikitin, the regional governor, stated via Telegram that a "massive UAV attack" resulted in "significant damage" to an industrial facility located in the Kstovsky district.
According to Nikitin, air defenses destroyed more than 100 drones. Initial reports indicate there were no casualties, and emergency response teams are currently operating at the site. The governor noted that restoration efforts are underway, which may lead to temporary power outages and reduced heating and hot water supplies for residential buildings connected to the local utility networks.
While officials did not explicitly name the facility, war monitoring channels on Telegram reported that the strike hit the Kstovo oil refinery, also known as Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez. The facility is considered one of Russia's largest refineries and is responsible for producing aviation fuel and diesel. This incident follows a major fire at another Russian oil refinery in the Samara region earlier in the week, which was also linked to a drone strike.
These events occur as Ukraine has intensified its efforts to target Russian energy infrastructure, including terminals, depots, and refineries, in an attempt to disrupt the Russian economy and its military capabilities. Reports had previously suggested that Ukraine might have paused such strikes under pressure from Washington, which raised concerns regarding the impact on global diesel prices.
The broader conflict continues to cause significant infrastructure strain. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on X that Russian strikes have created a difficult electricity situation. He stated that approximately 200,000 households in the Dnipro region and over 80,000 in the Kyiv region were left without power. Zelenskyy added that Russian forces targeted a combined heat and power plant in Kyiv as well as four electrical substations in the eastern Dnipro region.
