Drone Strike Sets One of Central Russia’s Biggest Refineries on Fire

A major fire broke out at one of central Russia’s largest oil refineries early Friday after unidentified drones struck the city of Yaroslavl, according to local reports and videos shared online.
Residents said they heard around seven explosions before seeing a bright glow and thick smoke rising from the area of the Yaroslavnefteorgsintez refinery. Videos published online show a large blaze spreading across the facility.
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Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure since July, arguing that disrupting oil refining and fuel production directly weakens the Kremlin’s ability to wage war.
The refinery, part of Slavneft and ranked among Russia’s top five oil-processing plants, was likely hit, according to monitoring groups. Russian authorities have not yet confirmed any damage.
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Separate incident in Tver injures seven
In a separate overnight incident, debris from a downed Ukrainian drone crashed into a residential building in Tver, acting regional governor Vitaly Korolev said on Friday.
Six adults and one child were taken to the hospital. Residents who woke to the explosion helped neighbors escape as a fire broke out on a lower floor.
Apartments from the first to the fourth floors were damaged. Twenty-two people, including five children, were evacuated to a temporary shelter at a local school.
Background: Ukraine’s largest drone operation of the war
The strike on Yaroslavl comes less than 24 hours after Ukraine carried out its biggest and most wide-reaching combined drone attack of the full-scale war.
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On Dec. 11, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched close to 300 drones of various types, along with cruise missiles, hitting targets across western and central Russia – a stretch of nearly 2,000 kilometers, according to Russian and Ukrainian sources reviewed by Kyiv Post.
In line with Kyiv’s months-long campaign against Russia’s fossil fuel sector, Ukraine’s main effort focused on five major energy production facilities. All five sites caught fire after being struck. Four Russian military airfields were also targeted.
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About one-fifth of the drones flew directly toward Moscow, circling above the capital for hours and forcing air-defense units into a frantic overnight operation.
Authorities issued a rare public warning advising residents to take shelter, and all four Moscow airports were locked down, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and forcing more than 130 flights to be canceled, delayed or diverted.
Long-range strike hits Caspian Sea platform
One of the most significant attacks of the night hit far from the front line: an offshore oil platform in the Caspian Sea. The Lukoil-operated rig, located roughly 1,500 kilometers from likely Ukrainian launch sites, was struck at least four times by long-range Lyutiy drones, setting the platform on fire and halting production.
It was the first known Ukrainian strike in the Caspian region. No injuries were reported, but firefighting efforts continued into Thursday.