Ukraine attacks one of the largest refineries in southern Russia
25 December 15:16
On the afternoon of December 25, Ukraine attacked the town of Novoshakhtynsk in Rostov Region, according to Governor Yuriy Slyusar, [Komersant ] reports, citing Russian propaganda media.
According to him, “explosions occurred in the city,” according to preliminary information, no one was injured.
“Emergency response services are currently on the scene, and firefighting is being organized,” the head of the region said, without giving details.
According to Ukrainian monitoring channels, the fire hit the Novoshakhtynsky Oil Products Plant (NZNP), one of the largest refineries in southern Russia with a design capacity of up to 7.5 million tons of oil per year. The company specializes in the production of fuel oil, heating oil, marine and diesel fuel, and straight-run gasoline.
According to eyewitness footage, the strike caused a massive fire at the refinery, which sent a huge plume of smoke billowing out. According to media reports, there were six to ten explosions at the refinery.
The damage to the Novoshakhtyn Oil Refinery was confirmed by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the Ukrainian military, the attack was carried out by Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
“The plant <...> is directly involved in the supply of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In particular, the company supplies the occupation army with diesel fuel and aviation kerosene. The total volume of the plant’s tanks is more than 210 thousand cubic meters,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.
The previous major strike on the Novoshakhtyn oil refinery, the only one in Rostov region, was on August 21. As a result of the raid, a large fire broke out at the refinery, which could not be extinguished for several days.
The Ukrainian armed forces also attacked the region on November 30. According to Slyusar, that attack resulted in a fire at an unnamed industrial plant in Novoshakhtynsk. The fire then covered 50 square meters.
