Drones attacked Lukoil's Russian oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region
On the night of November 1, drones attacked the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia. In the Kstovo District, an industrial facility sustained significant damage. Russian Telegram channels report that the “Lukoil-Nizhegorodnaftorgsintez” oil refinery may have been targeted.
The massive drone attack continued throughout the night and into the morning of November 1. Russian authorities claimed to have destroyed over a hundred drones. “A massive drone attack is ongoing in the Nizhny Novgorod region overnight and this morning: over a hundred drones have been destroyed. According to preliminary data, there are no casualties. An industrial facility in the Kstovo District sustained significant damage,” Nikitin wrote on social media.
At the same time, the governor did not name the facility that sustained damage. However, according to Russian Telegram channels, the target of the attack may have been the “Lukoil-Nizhegorodnaftorgsintez” oil refinery, located in the city of Kstovo. Local residents also reported explosions in the area. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russian air defenses allegedly shot down 235 drones overnight. There is no independent confirmation of these figures.
What is known about the refinery
“Lukoil-Nizhegorodnaftorgsintez” is one of Russia’s largest oil refineries. The facility is located in Kstovo and has a refining capacity of approximately 17 million metric tons of feedstock per year. The refinery produces more than 50 types of products. Among them are gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, including products used by the Russian military-industrial complex.
The facility plays a crucial role in supplying fuel not only to the Russian military but also to the Moscow region. It accounts for a significant portion of the fuel supply to this region, where a large share of Russia’s total gasoline consumption is concentrated. This is not the first attack on the plant in Kstovo. As reported by Ukrinform, the facility had already been struck by drones in April, May, and August 2026.
At this time, Russian officials have not confirmed that the damaged facility is indeed the Lukoil oil refinery. There is also no detailed information yet on the extent of the damage or the possible consequences for its operations. The attack was reported by Gleb Nikitin, governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region.
On the night of September 28, drones attacked the Pavlovsk oil depot of “Lukoil-Yugnaftoprodukt” in the Krasnodar Krai of the Russian Federation. The facility has a transshipment capacity of up to 150,000 metric tons of petroleum products per year.
Following the Ukrainian strikes, two major Russian oil refining enterprises suspended operations. These are the “LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez” oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, and the “NOVATEK-Ust-Luga” complex in Leningrad Oblast.
