646 Drones Swarm Russia as Fires Hit Europe’s Largest Tank Farm, Oil Facilities

A massive overnight drone attack reportedly sparked fires near a major oil refinery and chemical plant in Russia’s Volgograd region, while another strike was reported at a huge oil storage facility in Samara.The reported attacks came as Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses had intercepted or destroyed 646 Ukrainian drones across 14 regions, Crimea and the Black and Azov seas.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Volgograd Regional Governor Andrey Bocharov said early Friday, Oct. 2, that drones had targeted “industrial infrastructure” in the region.He also reported a fire in an apartment building in Volgograd’s Krasnoarmeysky District. One person was hospitalized, and the fire was contained, Bocharov said.Local residents reported numerous explosions across the city.Rosaviatsia, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, imposed flight restrictions at Volgograd Airport at around 1 a.m. The last evening flight to Moscow and the first morning flight from the capital were delayed, while another aircraft was diverted to Samara. Footage analyzed by Russian outlet Astra reportedly showed a large fire near two adjacent industrial facilities – the Volgograd Oil Refinery and the Kaustik chemical plant. The Volgograd refinery, operated by Lukoil subsidiary Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka, is among Russia’s 10 largest oil refineries, with an annual processing capacity of about 14.8 million metric tons. Other Topics of Interest Russia Turns Its Drone War on Kyiv’s Dnipro Bridges – Why Now? Repeated strikes on Kyiv’s Southern Bridge signal a new phase in Russia’s drone campaign – one aimed at disrupting the capital’s daily movement. The facility produces gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, fuel oil and bitumen. It was previously targeted by drones on July 31, when key production units were damaged and primary oil-processing units AVT-1 and AVT-6 were reportedly shut down. Located near the refinery, JSC Kaustik is a major chemical-industry enterprise that supplies products to Russia’s military-industrial complex. Major oil storage facility reportedly hit in Samara Astra also reported an overnight strike on the Samara Linear Production and Dispatch Station (LPDS) – a major Transneft oil storage facility. “The Samara Linear Production and Dispatch Station (LPDS) – Europe’s largest tank farm and part of the Transneft system – was likely targeted in Samara,” the message read. The facility covers more than 216 hectares and contains 71 storage tanks with a combined capacity of over 1.6 million cubic meters of oil, as well as two pumping stations and an oil-blending station. Four trunk pipelines converge at the Samara LPDS, bringing oil from Western Siberia, Tatarstan, Orenburg and Kazakhstan.Samara authorities have not officially commented on reports of a fire at the facility, although explosions were reported in the city. A particularly loud blast was heard at around 6:30 a.m., according to local reports.Samara Mayor Ivan Noskov later announced the suspension of ground public transport. The city’s metro remained operational as a shelter, while the missile threat alert was lifted.Russia claims 646 drones interceptedRussia’s Defense Ministry said that between 8 p.m. Moscow time on Oct. 1 and 8 a.m. on Oct. 2, its air defenses intercepted or destroyed 646 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones.According to the ministry, the drones were detected over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Tula, Oryol, Rostov, Saratov, Volgograd, Ulyanovsk, Samara and Astrakhan regions, as well as Crimea and the Black and Azov seas.The figures and reported damage could not be independently verified.Ukraine has not yet commented on the reported attacks. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.