Ukrainian Drones Set Major Russian Refinery Ablaze for 8th Time This Year

Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian city of Yaroslavl overnight on Friday, Aug. 28, reportedly hitting and setting fire to one of Russia’s largest oil refineries. Yaroslavl Oblast Governor Mikhail Yevrayev said the attack prompted authorities to block several roads leading toward Moscow, reroute public transport and close several kindergartens. He did not say what facilities were damaged or whether anyone was injured.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Russian independent outlet Astra, citing photos and videos from eyewitnesses, reported that the Yaroslavnefteorgsintez refinery, also known as Slavneft-YANOS, was hit and caught fire. The refinery can process up to 15 million metric tons (16.5 million tons) of crude oil annually. It produces gasoline and diesel meeting Euro-5 standards, aviation fuel, lubricants, bitumen, liquefied gas, and fuel oil. Yaroslavnefteorgsintez is owned by Slavneft, which is jointly controlled by Russian energy giants Gazprom and Rosneft. The refinery has now reportedly been targeted at least eight times this year. Previous attacks were reported on Aug. 6, July 16, July 6, May 22, May 8, April 26, and March 28. Russia’s refinery network under pressure Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russia’s oil-refining infrastructure as part of its campaign to disrupt the country’s military supply chains and fuel production. On Wednesday, Aug. 26, Ukrainian drones struck Lukoil’s Nizhny Novgorod refinery in Kstovo, one of Russia’s largest refineries. The facility can also process about 15 million metric tons (16.5 million tons) of crude annually and supplies fuel to the Moscow region. Other Topics of Interest Russia Keeps Kyiv Under Siege With 17 Air Raid Alerts in 33 Hours The repeated drone attacks mean that even when no strike hits directly, residents can spend hours responding to air raid warnings and moving to shelters. Earlier on Tuesday, Aug. 25, the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Rostov Oblast suspended operations following a drone attack, according to regional Governor Yury Slyusar. Several other Russian refineries have also halted or reduced operations in recent months, including Lukoil’s Perm and Volgograd facilities, Rosneft’s Saratov refinery, Orsknefteorgsintez and Sibur’s ZapSibNeftekhim. Ukrainian drones have attacked Russian oil refineries more than 70 times since the start of 2026, according to available reports. The strikes have knocked several dozen facilities out of operation and helped push Russian oil refining to its lowest level since 2002, contributing to fuel shortages and a growing domestic fuel crisis. 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.