A fire broke out at the Bashneft-Novoil oil refinery in the Russian city of Ufa on Saturday after a reported drone attack, setting a key processing unit ablaze and sending a thick column of black smoke over the industrial zone. The Ufa refinery fire, reported on October 31, 2026, has renewed attention on strikes against Russia’s oil industry after a brief pause.
ASTRA, a Russian outlet, said open-source analysis of eyewitness photographs indicated the blaze was centred on the plant’s L-35 catalytic reforming unit, which produces reformate, a high-octane gasoline component, and hydrogen needed to refine motor fuels. The extent of the damage and any effect on production have not been confirmed.
FAKTA
- What happened: A fire at the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Ufa, in Russia’s Bashkortostan region, on Saturday, October 31, 2026, following a reported drone attack.
- Unit affected: The L-35 catalytic reforming unit was likely burning, according to ASTRA’s analysis of eyewitness photographs.
- Official position: Russian authorities have not confirmed that the facility was hit. The Defence Ministry said air defences shot down 433 drones overnight across 19 regions, without specifying how many targeted Ufa.
- Scale of the site: Ufa’s three adjacent refineries form one of Russia’s largest refining complexes, with a combined capacity of about 23.5 million tonnes of crude a year.
- Wider context: The fire came a day after drones struck the Novokuybyshevsk area in the Samara region, ending a two-week pause in attacks on Russian refineries.
Ufa refinery fire reported in the morning
Residents in Ufa reported several explosions on Saturday morning, followed by smoke rising over the city’s northern industrial zone. A drone alert had been declared in Bashkortostan overnight, and local reports also mentioned internet disruptions. Ufa airport temporarily suspended arrivals and departures because of the drone threat.
Claims online that two refineries were attacked at once have not been independently confirmed, and no casualty information has been released.
A key unit in Russia’s refining network
Bashneft-Novoil produces Euro-6 standard gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene and industrial oils. The wider Ufa complex, operated by Rosneft-owned Bashneft, comprises three neighbouring refineries: Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim, Bashneft-Novoil and Bashneft-UNPZ. A prolonged outage at such a unit could ripple beyond one plant, though current reports establish a fire, not lasting damage.
Strikes resume after a pause
The Ufa fire followed an attack early on Friday on the Novokuybyshevsk area, where explosions set off a major fire in an industrial area that includes a refinery. The Samara governor said two men were killed in that incident, and Ukraine’s military leadership did not confirm responsibility for it. Earlier reports said Ukraine had paused refinery strikes after US pressure, possibly until the US midterm elections or later in November. Ukraine’s president told reporters during the week that his forces had tried to be more careful in recent days but had no order not to hit refineries. The Ufa incident is now being read as a sign that the pause has ended. Watan News International will continue to follow verified updates on the situation.
