Ukraine announced on Saturday that it had launched a drone strike on one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, igniting a blaze at the facility located over 700 miles within Russian territory.
The Taneco refinery, situated in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, is among Russia’s most advanced refineries and plays a crucial role in fueling the Russian military, according to Lieutenant Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation.
Kovalenko stated this was the second time Ukrainian forces had targeted the facility in under a year.
Images circulating on social media, verified and geolocated by CNN, depict towering flames and thick smoke piercing the night sky, while snow-covered workers hurriedly evacuated the building.
However, officials in Tatarstan disputed the reports of a fire. The region’s press service claimed the glowing imagery was due to “the work of the plant’s torches” during a scheduled safety exercise, dismissing the evacuation as part of a mock drill.
The Taneco refinery, with a processing capacity exceeding 16 million tons of oil annually, is a critical energy hub.
“The destruction of refineries and oil depots directly affects Russia’s ability to wage an intense war,” Kovalenko emphasized.
He also noted that the facility had previously been struck in the spring of 2024, resulting in damage to its primary processing unit.
This latest incident follows another wave of drone strikes in April 2024, which targeted both a Shahed drone assembly plant and a major oil refining unit at the refinery.
At the time, the attack marked the deepest Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory since the war began.
