Drones attacked the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery in the city of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region of the Russian Federation - a fire is raging there.
Source : Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region Gleb Nikitin , Russian Telegram channel Astra and Russian Ministry of Defense on Telegram
The governor's direct speech : "30 UAVs were shot down in the Nizhny Novgorod region at night and in the morning... Falling debris caused damage and subsequent fire to two industrial facilities in the Kstovsky district."
Details : The official did not specify what exactly was burning, only noting that "the fire is being localized and the consequences of the incident are being eliminated." Schools in the district have been switched to remote mode.
Astra, citing local residents, reported explosions and a fire in the city of Kstovo.
It is noted that the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery was under attack.
Photos and videos published by the channel show columns of smoke in the sky and open burning at the factory.
Astra has determined that a facility in the southwestern part of the refinery was affected – likely the ELOU-AVT unit.
ELOU-AVT is a basic combined unit for primary oil processing at oil refineries. Its main task is to prepare crude oil and separate it into basic fractions (straight-run gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, vacuum gas oil, and tar).
Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez in Kstovo has been attacked by drones on several occasions, most recently on May 18 .
"Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez" is one of the leading refineries in Russia. It is important for the supply of the Moscow region. The installed capacity for primary oil processing is about 17 million tons per year. The enterprise produces more than 50 types of products: automotive, aviation and diesel fuels; as well as petroleum bitumen, paraffins, etc.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that since the evening of May 19, the air defense allegedly shot down 273 Ukrainian UAVs over the territories of Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Volgograd, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Orel, Rostov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula and Moscow regions, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai and the Republic of Tatarstan. As well as over the temporarily occupied Crimea and the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.