Ukrainian drone strike sparks major fire at one of Russia’s largest oil refineries

Ukrainian drones attacked the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl again overnight on November 3, sparking a major fire at the plant. Photos and videos from eyewitnesses show at least seven fire sites, five large and two smaller, according to the independent Telegram channel Astra.Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Evraev wrote on social media that the attack damaged the refinery’s infrastructure and that two plant employees sustained shrapnel wounds.He also said that windows in several apartment buildings and private homes were shattered by “debris” from downed drones, and cars were damaged.In total, according to Evraev, 124 drones that attacked the city were shot down.The Ukrainian drone attack closed traffic for several hours on the road out of Yaroslavl toward Moscow (in the area where the refinery is located), and public transportation routes were changed as well.The Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery is Russia’s fifth-largest oil refinery by capacity, capable of processing up to 15 million metric tons (16.5 million short tons) of oil a year. Ukrainian drones have repeatedly attacked the refinery in Yaroslavl.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.