(SAMARA, SAMARA OBLAST) – Ukrainian long range drones struck the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region overnight on 22nd September, igniting a large fire that preliminary reports indicate reached the plant’s AVT-5 primary crude processing unit.
Samara regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed that drones targeted industrial facilities in the region, claiming air defences downed dozens of UAVs. He reported one civilian killed and four injured. Fedorishchev did not specifically mention the Kuibyshev refinery fire.
Ukraine’s General Staff later confirmed that the First Separate Unmanned Systems Centre, working alongside other elements of the defence forces, carried out the strike. The refinery lies more than 1,000 kilometres from Ukraine.
The Kuibyshev refinery is owned by Rosneft and has a capacity of roughly seven million tonnes per year, or about 140,000 barrels per day. It is one of the largest refining complexes in the Volga region and a key source of fuel for central Russia. The plant produces petrol, diesel and other petroleum products, some of which supply the Russian armed forces.
The facility has been targeted repeatedly. Past strikes began on 23rd March 2024 and have continued every few months since. This marks the fifth and most damaging attack on the site to date.
The refinery has an unusual history. It was built between 1943 and 1945 with American assistance under the Lend Lease programme. Equipment and seven engineers were sent from California. The facility used an American designed Huger catalytic cracking unit and produced its first petrol in 1945, helping to fuel the huge quantities of US military equipment supplied to the Soviet Union during the Second World War.
Meanwhile, Russian grain exports have collapsed. Data from the Russian Grain Union shows wheat exports fell 73 per cent year on year between 11th and 20th September, down to 347,000 tonnes from 1.3 million tonnes a year earlier. Total grain exports dropped from nearly 1.6 million tonnes to 381,000 tonnes over the same period. Shipments through the port of Novorossiysk fell almost tenfold to 72,500 tonnes. The Russian Grain Union expects total wheat exports for September not to exceed one million tonnes, compared with 5.7 million tonnes a year earlier. Ukraine now exports more grain than Russia.
In a rare moment of dissent, Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Russian Communist Party, said the country is dying amid an endless war. He noted that global growth runs at three to four per cent annually while Russia has stagnated at one per cent for fifteen years. Zyuganov also revealed that the number of Russian oligarchs has risen from 105 to 155 during the war, with their combined wealth reaching 700 billion dollars, or about 550 billion pounds, more than the national budget.
The recent parliamentary elections have been described by independent observers as the dirtiest in modern Russian history. Analysts estimate that roughly 23 percentage points of United Russia’s official 58 per cent result came from fraud. Election analyst Roman Udot said up to 70 percent of polling stations reported falsified data. In Penza, a man was sentenced to 14 days in prison for writing an insult about Vladimir Putin on his ballot.
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