On the night of 26 August, drones attacked the town of Kstovo in the Nizhny Novgorod Region of the Russian Federation. Following numerous explosions in the industrial zone, a large-scale fire broke out. According to OSINT sources and local residents, the «LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez» oil refinery – one of the largest facilities of its kind in Russia – was hit.
Briefly about the main points
- Drones attacked the oil refinery in Kstovo.
- The «LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez» plant was hit.
- The company’s production capacity is approximately 17 million tonnes of oil per year.
- The extent of the damage is being assessed.
Night-time attack on the oil refinery in Kstovo
The attack on Kstovo began at around at 03:40 Kyiv time. Local residents reported numerous explosions and the activation of Russian air defences. Shortly afterwards, a massive blaze and thick black smoke appeared over the industrial part of the city.
Monitoring and OSINT channels have identified the location of the attack as the territory «LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez». Footage posted online also shows the drones flying over and exploding in the vicinity of the plant.
Ukrainska Pravda, citing ASTRA and Exilenova+, also reports that this particular oil refinery was targeted in the attack and that a large-scale fire broke out following the explosions.
As of this morning, the Russian authorities had not released any detailed information about which specific industrial facilities might have been damaged. The full extent of the damage caused by the strike therefore remains unknown.
One of the largest oil refineries in the Russian Federation
«LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez» is located in Kstovo, approximately 400 kilometres east of Moscow.
The plant’s design capacity is approximately 17 million tonnes of crude oil per year. The oil refinery produces motor petrol, diesel and aviation fuel, lubricants and other types of petroleum products.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had previously stated that the plant’s products are used, in particular, to meet the needs of the Russian armed forces.
In terms of refining capacity, the plant is one of Russia’s largest oil refineries and plays a vital role in supplying fuel to the central part of the country.
The factory has been attacked on several occasions
This is not the first time the Kstovo oil refinery has been the target of long-range strikes.
On the night of 2 July 2026 The Ukrainian Defence Forces officially confirmed that this facility had been destroyed. Then, after a strike on the factory premises A fire broke out, and the crude oil processing plant had previously been damaged AVT-6.
Following that attack, the refinery was forced to halt crude oil processing. The AVT-6 unit accounted for more than half of its initial capacity, whilst the other unit — the AVT-5 — had also sustained damage previously.
In May and April 2026, the Defence Forces also reported strikes on the infrastructure of this oil refinery.
The latest attack on 26 August was, at the very least, yet another serious blow to one of Lukoil’s key oil refineries.
The extent of the damage is being assessed
Morning footage from Kstovo shows a large open fire and thick smoke rising above the industrial area.
At present, there is no confirmed information regarding a complete shutdown of the refinery or specific units that may have been put out of action during this attack.
Furthermore, as of the time of publication, the Ukrainian side had not officially claimed responsibility for the night-time strike on 26 August.
Details regarding the extent of the fire, the damage to production equipment and the potential impact of the attack on the company’s operations are currently being clarified.
