Ukrainian monitoring channels and a Russian outlet say the NORSI plant, Russia’s fourth largest refinery, was hit and left burning overnight on Nov. 1.
Tamrah News Desk | November 1, 2026
The Kstovo oil refinery in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Oblast was reportedly hit in a drone attack overnight on Nov. 1, and the plant was burning, according to The Kyiv Independent. The outlet said it could not immediately verify the reports. No Ukrainian or Russian official statement on the strike had been found at the time of writing.
What Was Reported Overnight
The Kyiv Independent said the Exilenova+ and Supernova+ Telegram channels published footage of the alleged drone attack. A photo shared by Supernova+ purportedly shows fires at the site. The independent Russian outlet ASTRA reported that the Lukoil Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez plant, known as the NORSI refinery, had been struck and was on fire.
The coverage reviewed by Tamrah News describes the target as a refinery rather than a separate storage depot. No casualties or damage assessments had been published, and Nizhny Novgorod authorities had not been quoted. For wider context, see Tamrah News coverage of the Russia Ukraine war.
What Is the Kstovo Oil Refinery?
The Kyiv Independent said the plant is Russia’s fourth largest refinery and its second largest gasoline producer. It processes around 15 to 17 million metric tonnes of crude oil a year and sits about 800 kilometres, or 500 miles, from the Ukrainian border. The same outlet said it also makes diesel, aviation fuel and bitumen. Ukraine’s General Staff has described the Lukoil refinery as a supplier to Russia’s armed forces, according to Euromaidan Press. Background on the site is available in this Kstovo refinery overview.
Earlier Strikes on the NORSI Refinery
Today’s report follows a long run of attacks. Meduza relayed a Reuters report that the plant halted work after a drone strike on April 5. Euromaidan Press relayed Reuters reporting that a May 20 attack shut the main crude distillation unit. The Kyiv Independent said Reuters, citing two industry sources, reported the refinery went offline on June 24 and halted again after a July 2 strike.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, Special Operations Forces and Unmanned Systems Forces struck the refinery on Aug. 26, and the General Staff confirmed a fire. The General Staff said on Sept. 4 that the plant had stopped operations, the Kyiv Independent reported. Euromaidan Press, summarising Reuters, said all of Lukoil’s major Russian refineries were offline after that attack. Another Kstovo refinery fire adds to this record of Ukrainian drone strikes.
Will the Kstovo Oil Refinery Shut Down Again?
No damage assessment or output figure had been published at the time of writing. The reporting reviewed does not say whether the plant had resumed full processing after the September stoppage. Reuters has cited industry sources on earlier halts, and the Saint Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange paused NORSI fuel sales after the June strike, according to the Kyiv Independent. Tamrah News will add any such confirmation as it appears. You can follow our energy and oil market reports for updates.
Wider Campaign Against Russian Refineries
The Kyiv Independent said Ukraine has run a sustained campaign of long range drone strikes on Russian energy sites since the start of 2026. On Oct. 29, the Wall Street Journal reported that Kyiv had agreed to pause refinery attacks until after the U.S. midterm elections. Ukrainian officials told the Kyiv Independent that no such agreement existed. One official said U.S. envoy Jared Kushner had suggested a 30 day pause that Ukraine did not accept.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Oct. 30 that Ukraine had attacked three refineries and a gas chemical complex, with minor damage at one plant. He said,
“We had a brief pause, but today, attacks on refineries have resumed.”
The Kyiv Independent also reported that Ukrainian drones struck the Novokuibyshevsk refinery in Samara Oblast on Oct. 30.
Russia continued its own attacks. The Kyiv Independent reported on Oct. 31 that Ukraine’s Air Force downed 105 of 134 drones launched overnight, and that Russian attacks killed five people and injured at least 46. Readers can find our latest Ukraine war reports on Tamrah News.
Conclusion
The reported drone attack on the Kstovo oil refinery adds to a months long series of strikes on Nizhny Novgorod and other Russian energy sites. People searching for the Kstovo refinery fire, NORSI refinery news, Lukoil refinery drone attack updates, Nizhny Novgorod drone attack reports, Russian refinery attacks today or Ukraine drone strikes on Russia should note that official confirmation is still awaited.
