Ukrainian Drone Swarm Strikes Key Russian Oil Refinery in Samara

Dozens of Ukrainian drones targeted industrial facilities in Russia’s Samara Oblast overnight on Sept. 22, damaging civilian infrastructure and reportedly setting fire to a major Rosneft oil refinery. Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said the drones targeted industrial enterprises and that private homes and vehicles were also damaged. He did not report casualties.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Astra, citing eyewitness footage, identified the target in Samara as the Kuibyshev oil refinery, one of the region’s largest. A major fire broke out at the facility following the attack. The refinery, owned by Russian state oil giant Rosneft, has a nominal annual capacity of 7 million metric tons of crude. In 2024, it processed 4.7 million metric tons of crude, producing around 800,000 metric tons of gasoline, 1.4 million metric tons of diesel and 1.3 million metric tons of fuel oil. The facility was previously targeted by Ukrainian drones in June. Reuters, citing industry sources, reported at the time that the refinery had temporarily suspended processing following the attack. The Samara strike comes amid an intensifying Ukrainian campaign targeting Russia’s oil-refining infrastructure. Ukraine has struck Russian refineries more than 70 times since the start of 2026, according to the report. Several dozen facilities have been forced to halt operations, while six major refineries were reportedly undergoing repairs in August. Other Topics of Interest Russian Attack Destroys Pet Retailer Warehouse in Kyiv Region A Russian overnight missile and drone attack destroyed a warehouse belonging to Suziria Group, the parent company of Ukraine's largest pet store chain MasterZoo, in the Kyiv region. EA Analytics said disruptions had pushed Russian oil refining to its lowest level since 2002. The decline has contributed to fuel shortages and prompted Moscow to restrict fuel exports. US President Donald Trump said on Sept. 21 that repeated Ukrainian attacks had knocked out a significant portion of Russia’s refining capacity, claiming Moscow had “lost control” of diesel production. Trump has repeatedly urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop attacks on Russian oil facilities. Zelensky said Kyiv was prepared for de-escalation but argued that any halt to strikes on Russian refineries should be matched by an end to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy system and critical infrastructure. 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.