KSTOVO, Russia — A massive fire broke out at the major Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery located in the city of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, following a heavy overnight drone attack.
The facility, widely recognized as one of Russia's largest petroleum processing plants, sustained significant industrial damage as explosions lit up the night sky.
Local residents reported hearing a series of loud blasts in the early morning hours as air defense systems engaged incoming aerial threats. Monitoring channels and local media footage quickly captured massive plumes of smoke and towering flames raging near processing units within the refinery complex.
Regional governor Gleb Nikitin acknowledged the scale of the assault, describing it as a "massive" drone operation that targeted an industrial facility in the Kstovo district. While local authorities confirmed that the site sustained heavy structural impact, emergency services immediately scrambled teams to contain the spreading fire.
"A massive drone attack is ongoing in the Nizhny Novgorod region... An industrial facility in the Kstovo District sustained significant damage," Nikitin stated via social media.
Emergency response units and firefighting crews rushed to the refinery under high alert to battle the blazes across multiple ignition points. Preliminary reports from regional officials indicate that no fatalities or serious injuries have been documented from the overnight strike. Beyond the refinery itself, secondary impacts affected local energy networks, with temporary power cuts and reduced hot water supplies reported in nearby utility sectors due to overlapping strikes on regional energy infrastructure.
The Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez plant—commonly referred to as the NORSI refinery—ranks among Russia’s top petroleum producers, handling millions of tonnes of crude oil annually to supply essential gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel.
The targeted strike underscores an ongoing pattern of long-range drone operations directed at Russia's vital energy hubs. Emergency crews and damage assessment teams remain active at the scene as authorities work to fully extinguish the flames and evaluate the long-term operational capacity of the plant.
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