Drones set ablaze major Russian refinery for third time in 2025 - Video

Regional Governor Pavel Malkov claimed that "debris from the dawned unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) caused a fire on the territory of one of the enterprises. Emergency services are at the scene.”

Andriy Kovalenko of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council's Center for Countering Disinformation, confirmed the attack on the refinery, which is one of the largest in Russia with a capacity of 17.1 million tons of oil per year.

Later, the head of the National Security and Defense Council's Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, confirmed the attack on the Ryazan refinery, which is one of the five largest oil refineries in Russia. Its capacity is 17.1 million tons of oil per year. The aviation fuel produced at the refinery is used for Russian military operations, including missile strikes on Ukraine.

On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the country’s air defenses had allegedly “intercepted” 22 drones, including 16 over Oryol Oblast, three over Bryansk Oblast, two over Ryazan Oblast, and one over occupied Crimea.

Two previous attacks on the refinery were carried out by Ukrainian forces on Jan. 24 and Jan. 26, causing a temporary shutdown.  

Since January, Ukraine has stepped up its drone strike campaign, hitting eight Russian refineries as well as oil depots and other industrial facilities. According to calculations based on trader data, these attacks have taken out about 10% of Russia's refining capacity. 

At least 27 fuel and energy facilities in 16 Russian regions have been targeted since the beginning of the year.