Ukrainian drones struck Rosneft's Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Ufa, Bashkortostan early on 2 April, setting its key AVT-5 primary crude distillation unit ablaze, according to local sources. The strike reached more than 1,300 km from the war zone and hit one of Russia's most strategically significant refining complexes. Russia's regional head confirmed the fire while routinely attributing damage to drone debris.
Strike and fire
Residents reported explosions in the morning. At 5 a.m. Kyiv time, Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ began posting photos and videos of a fire in a high-rise building in Ufa after a reported drone explosion. Minutes later, it shared additional footage showing black smoke rising over the remote industrial facility.
OSINT channel Cyberboroshno geolocated and confirmed the target as the AVT-5 unit at Bashneft-Novoil.
"Active burning is occurring, along with the release of a large mass of black smoke," the channel noted. "The AVT unit is the primary crude processing installation — without it, further processing is impossible."
Bashkortostan head Radiy Khabirov confirmed a fire at one of Ufa's refineries, claiming air defenses downed several drones near the refineries and that debris from one fell in the industrial zone. A separate drone hit a residential building, he added, noting no one was hurt.
Russian channel Astra confirmed the fire was at Bashneft-Novoil specifically, noting the photo showing black smoke was taken from 11 km away.
Why Bashneft-Novoil matters
Bashneft-Novoil is a Rosneft subsidiary processing around 7.3 mn tonnes of crude annually. It produces high-octane gasoline, motor and industrial oils, aviation and jet fuel, diesel, and bitumen. Ufa is one of Russia's most concentrated refining hubs: two other major Rosneft facilities — Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim and Bashneft-UNPZ — sit directly adjacent in the city's northern industrial zone.
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The Ukrainian campaign
The refinery was ablaze on 3 March 2025, after a Ukrainian attack. Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) drones hit Bashneft-Novoil in September 2025 and again on 15 October. On 23 March 2026, Ukrainian drones struck the refinery alongside a petroleum terminal. The 2 April strike is the latest in this series.
The Ufa strikes are part of a sustained Ukrainian campaign against Russian oil infrastructure that has intensified throughout March 2026. Ukraine hit the Yaroslavl refinery — a key military fuel hub — on 28 March, struck the Saratov refinery on 21 March, and repeatedly hit the KINEF refinery in Leningrad Oblast alongside the Ust-Luga and Primorsk Baltic export terminals.
According to Reuters, at least 40% of Russia's oil export capacity was halted due to Ukrainian drone attacks and other factors as of late March.
