A fire broke out at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Rostov Oblast, Russia, following a drone attack that occurred during the early hours of August 21. The city of Novoshakhtinsk is located about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the border with Ukraine and more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the front line.
Local residents reported at least five explosions during the attack, which reportedly struck the refinery and caused a large fire.
The Novoshakhtinsk refinery has an annual production capacity of up to 7.5 million tons of petroleum products, mainly fuels, and is the only operational refinery in Rostov Oblast.
This facility had already been targeted in previous attacks by Ukraine, including a joint offensive by the Ukrainian Navy and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in December 2024, which caused significant damage, and another attack in July 2024 that, according to Ukrainian sources, destroyed 1.5 million tons of oil and petroleum products valued at 540 million dollars.
This incident adds to a series of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting industrial and military facilities in Russia, especially refineries, considered key to financing Moscow's war effort. In August, at least three Russian refineries have reduced or suspended operations due to damage sustained in similar attacks.
The eastern region of Russia is facing a growing gasoline shortage as a result of a series of Ukrainian drone attacks that have damaged a significant portion of the country's oil refining capacity.
Since early August, Ukraine has struck at least seven Russian refineries, which has forced four of them to shut down completely and has reduced national refining capacity by approximately 13%.
The first reports of shortages began to emerge in early August in the Primorye region, but since then the crisis has spread to other localities such as Arsenyev, Ussuriysk, Chuguyevsky district, and finally the port city of Vladivostok.
The situation has caused traffic congestion on several Russian highways and roads. Long lines of cars are forming at gas stations, while drivers report waits of up to two hours to refuel.
