Ukraine's Defense Forces struck the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. A fire was reported at the refinery, but the extent of the damage is still being clarified.
The Kstovo plant is one of Russia's largest refineries, with a processing capacity of about 17 million tonnes of oil per year, producing gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel for Russian forces. It supplies about 30% of Moscow Oblast's gasoline and is roughly 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
In addition, Ukraine hit the Yaroslavl-3 oil pumping station in Yaroslavl Oblast on 19 May.
Repeat target of long-range sanction
The Kstovo refinery has been struck before. Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces hit it in early April, disabling the AVT-2 primary oil-refining unit and the LCH-24-7 diesel hydrotreating unit, and an earlier strike was reported in early November 2025.
The repeat strikes fit the broader campaign Kyiv calls its "long-range sanctions," which have hit refineries and fuel infrastructure across Russia.
Blasts target important node in Russia's crude-supply logistics
The Yaroslavl-3 pumping station, located near the settlement of Semibratovo in Yaroslavl Oblast, is a node in Russia's crude-supply logistics. Explosions were heard in the city of Yaroslavl on the morning of 19 May. Ukraine has not yet stated the scale of damage at either site, and no independent battle-damage assessment was available.
Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that Russia's economy was sagging amid falling fuel exports, and the budget deficit was already past its full-year forecast. Ukrainian long-range strikes on oil and gas infrastructure are having a tangible effect on Russia during its war of aggression.
The strongest evidence for the slowdown is not Ukrainian. Russia's own government slashed its 2026 GDP growth forecast to 0.4% from 1.3% this month, and the federal deficit is at a record level due to the war.
