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The Bashneft-Novoil oil refinery in Ufa, central Russia, caught fire Saturday after a reported Ukrainian drone attack, Russian outlet ASTRA, which is labeled as a "foreign agent" by Moscow, said, citing open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysis of eyewitness photos, a day after Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian refineries following a two-week pause.
A key catalytic reforming unit, the L-35, was likely burning, ASTRA's analyst said. The unit produces reformate, a high-octane gasoline component, and hydrogen needed to refine motor fuels.
Residents reported several explosions Saturday morning, a column of smoke and internet disruptions after a drone alert overnight.
Residents claimed two plants were hit, and Telegram channel Exilenova+ reported fires at two of the three refineries in Ufa’s northern industrial zone.
Rosneft-owned Bashneft operates three adjacent refineries in Ufa, Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim, Bashneft-Novoil and Bashneft-UNPZ, forming one of Russia’s largest refining complexes, with a combined capacity of 23.5 million tons of crude a year, according to ASTRA.
Bashneft-Novoil produces Euro-6 gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and industrial oils. Ukraine’s General Staff said it hit the same L-35 unit in August 2025.
A fire was previously reported in Ufa’s refinery zone on Sept. 21, 2026.
Ukraine struck the Novokuibyshevsk refinery in Russia's Samara region early Friday, ending a pause in refinery attacks that came amid heavy pressure from the Trump administration. Ukraine last hit a refinery on Oct. 15.
"There was an attack overnight on Russian oil-processing facilities, specifically, three oil refineries and one gas-chemical complex," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Friday.
Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said two men were killed.
Novak warned the strikes "could certainly lead to a reduction in supply volumes" under the diesel deal struck with U.S. President Donald Trump, which saw Russia ship about 510,000 tons of diesel in October.
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The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 29 that Ukraine’s military has paused its strikes against Russian oil refineries, people with knowledge of the operations said, after weeks of pressure from U.S. President Trump.
Trump has blamed Ukraine's strikes for high fuel prices, which energy experts mostly attribute to the U.S.-Iran war. European allies had advised Kyiv to wait until after the U.S. midterms.
"Our guys tried to be a little more careful during these days. But they do not have an order" not to hit refineries, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters Tuesday.
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