Ukrainian Drones Hit Russian Military Food Supplier, Oil Refinery in Overnight Attacks

Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery producing jet fuel for the Russian military and a factory supplying food rations to Russian armed forces in separate overnight attacks on Oct. 30, triggering fires at both facilities. Novokuybyshevsk refinery produces jet fuel for Russian military The strike on the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery in Russia’s Samara region marks the first reported attack on a Russian oil refinery in nearly two weeks, potentially signaling a resumption of Kyiv’s campaign against Russia’s oil industry.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Residents of Novokuybyshevsk reported explosions and air defense activity early on Oct. 30. Regional authorities declared a drone threat at around 6 a.m., by which time the attack was already underway, according to the independent Russian outlet ASTRA. Based on photographs sent in by readers, ASTRA’s OSINT analyst identified the site of the fire as the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery. The facility has belonged to Russian oil giant Rosneft since 2007 and has an annual processing capacity of approximately 8.8 million tonnes of crude oil. It produces more than 20 types of petroleum products, including Euro-5 petrol and diesel, bitumen and petroleum coke, as well as jet fuel used by Russia’s Aerospace Forces. The refinery has been targeted repeatedly. It was last attacked on Aug. 22, when Ukrainian drones struck the facility and caused a fire. Following Ukrainian strikes on April 18, the plant suspended operations at both of its primary crude distillation units, AVT-11 and AVT-9. Other Topics of Interest Russia Strikes Kremenchuk Again After Attack Kills Three, Injures 32, Including Six Children Six children were among those injured in Thursday’s attack as Russia launched another strike on an industrial facility in the Poltava region hours later. The latest strike comes after a pause of nearly two weeks in reported Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. The last documented strikes on Russia’s oil sector targeted the Ryazan Oil Refinery on Oct. 15, followed by an attack on an industrial facility in Surgut on Oct. 16. The pause came amid pressure from US President Donald Trump, who urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure. In the meantime, Ukraine appeared to redirect its drone campaign toward Russia’s metallurgical industry. According to Russian media outlets, Ukrainian forces had shifted their focus to steelmakers, targeting facilities belonging to major Russian industrial groups. The latest attack on the Novokuybyshevsk refinery, however, suggests that Russian oil infrastructure may once again be back on Kyiv’s target list. Separately, Ukrainian drones struck the Konservsushprod factory in the town of Starodub in Russia’s Bryansk region overnight on Oct. 30, according to photos and videos shared by local residents and analysed by ASTRA. A large fire broke out at the facility following the strike. The company describes itself as a historic supplier of canned food and individual food rations to Russian security forces and the armed forces. It also holds the rights to the “Russian Army” brand. The factory was previously targeted in 2023 and 2025. Drone attacks force Moscow airports to close Meanwhile, drone attacks prompted the closure of all four major Moscow airports overnight. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency imposed temporary restrictions on arrivals and departures at Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky airports. Yaroslavl Airport was also closed. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed that 862 drones had flown towards the Moscow region between the evening of Oct. 29 and 7 a.m. on Oct. 30. Most were intercepted at a distance from the capital, he said, adding that 170 drones were shot down on the approaches to Moscow. Alisa is the Head of News and a correspondent at Kyiv Post, where she leads the newsroom’s coverage of breaking events and global developments. With over seven years of experience in TV journalism, Alisa has reported on international and Ukrainian politics, making complex stories easier to understand. Back in September 2022, Alisa joined the Kyiv Post team.