Fresh drone strikes hit Russian oil hub in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast - video
The aftermath of drone strikes on Kstovo, May 20, 2026 (Photo: via Astra)
Unidentified drones attacked the city of Kstovo in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast on May 20 morning, the independent Russian news outlet Astra reported, citing local Telegram channels.
Footage shows drones flying over the city, though the exact number remains unknown. One photograph also captures thick smoke rising near the industrial plant.
The latest assault comes just days after explosions rocked Kstovo on May 18, when local residents first reported a drone attack.
The likely targets of the UAVs in Kstovo were the local oil refinery or an oil pumping station, Ukrainian Exilenova+ monitoring channel wrote.
AFU General Staff later confirmed that the Defense Forces successfully struck the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery located in Kstovo during the earlier attack. A separate strike also targeted the Yaroslavl-3 oil pumping station.
Additionally, Gorky oil pumping station — which Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) drones attacked on April 23, damaging three oil tanks — is located near Kstovo.
Russian oil refining capacity has decreased by 10% in recent months alone, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier reported. Furthermore, Russian companies are being forced to shut down operational wells, a consequence that is even more damaging to their long-term production than the immediate economic losses.
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