Fire at Ufa’s Novoil Refinery After Drone Attack Amid Pressure on Russian Refining
Key Facts
A fire broke out at the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in the Russian city of Ufa after a drone attack on the night of October 31, Interfax-Ukraine reported, citing geolocation analysis of eyewitness images by the Astra project. Astra said the refinery’s catalytic reforming unit was likely burning, without confirming the extent of the damage or its effect on production. The report cited local residents’ claims that two facilities in the city were attacked at the same time, but did not independently confirm the identity of the second facility. The fire comes as Russian refineries face repeated attacks, while Ukraine faces strikes on energy and railway facilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian attacks had cut power to 280,000 households in the Dnipro and Kyiv regions.
Zelenskyy said Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure included combined heat and power plants in the Kyiv and Sumy regions. He said they also hit four electrical substations and a gas distribution facility in the Dnipro region, as well as railway infrastructure in Dnipro and Kharkiv. The Associated Press reported that a timeline of the strikes placed them on October 30, during the night before reports were published on October 31. More broadly, Zelenskyy said Russia had carried out more than 30 strikes on vital parts of Ukraine’s electricity grid during the first two weeks of October. He called on Ukraine’s partners to impose additional sanctions on Russia and provide new support packages for Ukraine.
On the Russian side, the Defense Ministry said its forces had shot down 433 Ukrainian drones overnight. Novoil produces Euro-6 grade gasoline, diesel, aviation kerosene and industrial lubricants, according to Interfax-Ukraine. Its range of products places the fire at a refinery producing multiple fuels and derivatives, but published information does not specify whether any of its units or supplies were disrupted. The assessment that a catalytic reforming unit was burning also does not establish that long-term operational damage occurred. The report did not confirm claims that a second facility in Ufa was targeted.
International Energy Agency data show that Russian refinery processing fell in June to 3.8 million barrels per day, its lowest level in more than 20 years and about 30% below its level a year earlier. In September, the agency estimated that gasoline production had fallen 20% compared with 2025 levels, while diesel production was down about 30%. These figures reflect existing pressure on the refining sector, but do not measure the specific impact of the Novoil fire. The agency said a Russian refinery was attacked once every three days on average during the first eight months of 2026, and that some refineries had been attacked as many as 15 times since 2022. The Ufa fire comes amid this recurring targeting of refining facilities.
Recovery times vary depending on the extent of damage and the type of unit. The International Energy Agency said repairs to more complex secondary refining units can take an average of six to eight months when they are heavily damaged. The agency lowered its forecast for Russian refinery processing to an average of 4 million barrels per day for the rest of 2026 and for 2027. It also said global diesel markets are likely to remain under pressure for months unless refining activity in Russia or the Middle East recovers, or demand falls quickly. In Ukraine, Zelenskyy said repair work and power restoration continued in Dnipro, Kyiv and other regions, and that repeated Russian strikes had hit energy and railway facilities in Dnipro, causing further emergency outages. His statements did not specify when repairs would be completed.