Fire hits Rosneft's Ryazan refinery as Ukraine resumes strikes on Russia
A Ukrainian drone attack set fire to the Rosneft-owned refinery in Russia's Ryazan region, as Kyiv said it was resuming strikes on Russian refineries.
A fire broke out at the Rosneft-owned oil refinery in Russia's Ryazan region after what regional governor Pavel Malkov called a massive overnight drone attack, according to Report.az and Zerkalo. Malkov said a warehouse and vehicles at a separate enterprise in the region were also damaged, and that no injuries had been reported so far.
A Ukrainian monitoring channel, Exilenova+, published a photograph taken at dawn showing a flare above the refinery, which it said was linked to the strike, Meduza reported. Malkov had said the night before that shot down 23 drones over the wider region within 24 hours, with no casualties or damage reported from that earlier wave.
The Ryazan refinery supplies fuel to Moscow and accounts for close to 5% of Russia's total oil-refining capacity, with a processing capacity of about 17 million tonnes of crude a year, Telegraf.rs and 24 Kanal reported. It has been targeted by drones several times in recent months, according to Telegraf.rs.
Malkov said schools and kindergartens in two districts of Ryazan, Oktyabrsky and part of Sovetsky, were ordered shut for the day because of the attack, affecting 14 schools and 25 kindergartens, 24 Kanal and Meduza reported. Emergency services were working at the scene and the full extent of the damage was still being assessed, the governor said.
Russian officials had earlier accused Ukraine of striking refineries in Russia's Saratov and Ryazan regions on 14 October, a claim Ukraine's presidential office denied, saying the actual targets that day were a data centre and other facilities, 24 Kanal reported. By 15 October, Ukraine said it would resume strikes on Russian refineries after a three-day pause.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Financial Times that Kyiv had held off attacking Russian energy facilities for three days at the request of the United States, but that Russia kept striking Ukraine's own energy infrastructure and killed more than 100 Ukrainians over the week, 24 Kanal reported. Zelensky said Ukraine also went without US warnings of Russian launches during the pause, and that restrictions on Starlink satellite terminals had complicated front-line operations and strikes on Russian military targets.
Asked whether Ukraine would agree to another pause even if Russia kept attacking, Zelensky said he would only do so in exchange for additional US air-defence interceptors, calling that a minimum requirement, 24 Kanal reported.
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What we know
- Official · Pavel Malkov A fire broke out at Russia's Rosneft-owned Ryazan refinery after a massive overnight Ukrainian drone attack, regional governor Pavel Malkov said.
- Official · Pavel Malkov A warehouse and vehicles at a separate enterprise were also damaged; no injuries have been reported, Malkov said.
- 1 outlet · Report.az Schools and kindergartens in Ryazan's Oktyabrsky district and part of Sovetsky district were closed for the day, affecting 14 schools and 25 kindergartens.
- 2+ outlets · Telegraf.rs, 24 Kanal The refinery supplies Moscow with fuel and accounts for almost 5% of Russia's oil-refining capacity, with a yearly capacity of about 17 million tonnes, Telegraf.rs and 24 Kanal reported.
- 1 outlet · Report.az Ukraine said on 15 October it would resume strikes on Russian refineries after a three-day pause requested by the US, as Russia kept attacking Ukraine's energy grid, Zelensky told the Financial Times.
- 1 outlet · 24 Kanal Zelensky said Ukraine would only agree to pause again in exchange for more US Patriot interceptors, 24 Kanal reported.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The Ryazan refinery is one of Russia's largest, supplying fuel to Moscow and processing about 5% of the country's crude oil, so repeated Ukrainian strikes on it form part of a wider campaign against the infrastructure that funds and fuels Russia's war effort. The attack also comes as Kyiv resumes hitting Russian refineries after a brief pause requested by Washington, even as Zelensky said more than 100 Ukrainians were killed by Russian strikes on Ukraine's own energy system during that week, and that curbs on Starlink satellite links were hampering Ukrainian front-line operations.
Sources
Reported by 9 reports from 9 independent outlets in 6 countries.
- Report.az: Ryazana kütləvi PUA hücumu səbəbindən neft emalı zavodunda yanğın baş verib
- Zerkalo: В Рязанской области России после атаки беспилотников пожар на НПЗ
- 24 Kanal: Росіяни заявили про атаку на НПЗ в Рязані
- Index.hr: Najave Zelenskog se brzo obistinile. Gori ruska rafinerija
- Telegraf.rs: Najave Zelenskog se brzo obistinile, udario Putina gde najviše boli: Gori ruska rafinerija, snimci su jezivi
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- What is the Ryazan refinery and why does it matter?
- It is a Rosneft-owned refinery that supplies fuel to Moscow and processes about 5% of Russia's crude oil, with a capacity of roughly 17 million tonnes a year, according to Telegraf.rs and 24 Kanal.
- Why is Ukraine resuming strikes on Russian refineries?
- President Zelensky said Kyiv paused such strikes for three days at Washington's request, but resumed because Russia kept attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure, killing more than 100 Ukrainians that week.
- Were there any casualties in the Ryazan attack?
- No injuries have been reported, Governor Pavel Malkov said.
This article was written with AI assistance from 9 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.