Near Samara, one of the largest oil storage facilities of the Russian Federation in Europe has been burning for a second day following an attack by Ukrainian drones
Kyiv • UNN
The fire at the Samara oil pumping station has continued for a second day following an attack by Ukrainian drones. The station stores more than 1.6 million cubic meters of oil.
In Russia’s Samara region, a large-scale fire has been raging for a second day at the Samara Linear Production and Dispatching Station—one of Europe’s largest oil storage tank farms. The facility was attacked by Ukrainian drones on the morning of November 2. The Moscow Times reports this, citing ASTRA and eyewitness videos, writes UNN.
Details
The released footage shows a huge column of thick smoke rising above the damaged tanks. The station is located approximately 30 km from Samara.
The region’s governor, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, had earlier reported that a drone attack had been repelled and that air defenses were operating, but he did not specify the extent of the damage to the oil infrastructure. Why the attacked facility is important to Russia.
The Samara LPDS is owned by Transneft and is one of Russia’s key oil transportation and distribution hubs. The site, covering more than 216 hectares, contains 71 tanks with a total capacity of over 1.6 million cubic meters of oil.
Four main oil pipelines intersect here, ensuring the receipt, storage, and further transportation of crude oil.
After the attack and fire, the pumping of Kazakh oil for export via the Atyrau–Samara pipeline was temporarily halted. Later, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy reported that transportation had been restored.
Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russia’s oil industry
At the end of October and beginning of November, several major Russian oil refineries came under attack.
In particular, the Novokuibyshevsk Refinery was attacked on October 30; the Bashneft plant in Ufa on October 31; the Lukoil-Nizhegorodniinefteproekt facility on November 1; and the Slavneft-YANOS Yaroslavl Refinery on November 2.
According to the publication, satellites even detected the fire at the oil facility near Samara. The exact extent of the damage and the timeframe for the station’s full restoration remain unknown.