NASA Satellite Images Reveal Fire at Major Russian Oil Hub After Ukrainian Drone Strike
NASA data confirms a blaze at a key Russian oil‑pumping station in the Volga region following a Ukrainian drone attack, disrupting export operations and caus...
POLICY WIRE — Samara, Russia — NASA satellite photos captured a large fire engulfing a crucial crude‑pumping station and storage complex in the Volga region after a Ukrainian drone strike reignited attacks on Moscow’s oil infrastructure.
Ukrainian unmanned aircraft targeted the Tuapse refinery and its adjacent oil terminal between 16 April and 27 May 2026, striking the facility that handles a significant share of Russia’s oil exports.
The strikes damaged both the refinery and the terminal, igniting extensive blazes that forced operators to halt production and export flows, while also inflicting casualties reported as two fatalities and seven injuries on the initial day of the assault.
Video footage later showed flames leaping from the loading area of the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, confirming the severity of the damage and the spread of the fire across multiple oil‑handling sites.
Authorities in the Samara region confirmed a major conflagration at a local refinery on Friday, attributing the outbreak to the same wave of drone attacks aimed at curbing Russian oil revenue after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
