A fire broke out at the Syzran oil refinery in Russia's Samara Oblast in the early hours of 21 May 2026 amid a drone attack on the region, the Russian Telegram channel Astra reported.
The plant, which processes between 7 and 8.9 million tons of oil annually and is involved in supplying Russia's armed forces, was last targeted in late April 2026.
Ukraine's deep-strike drone campaign hit Russian oil facilities more than 180 times in 2025, slashing Russian fuel processing capacity and forcing Moscow to impose gasoline export bans amid regional fuel shortages. In 2026, the campaign continued to expand in range and frequency, with attacks documented every few days.
Airspace closed before fire reports emerged
Samara Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said around 4 a.m. local time that a "drone danger" regime had been introduced in the region, and 40 minutes later added that the "Carpet" plan—which closes airspace to flights—was in effect.
Astra, citing local residents, reported a fire in Syzran. Footage circulated by the Ukrainian monitoring channels Supernova+ and Exilenova+ showed a column of smoke and open flames at the refinery, with one of the oil processing units burning.
Governor confirms deaths, omits refinery
Fedorishchev later said the region was under drone attack and that two people had been killed, with others injured. He did not mention the fire at the refinery and reminded residents that filming and publishing images of the attack and its consequences was prohibited.
The federal aviation agency Rosaviatsia announced the closure of airports in Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Makhachkala, and Kaluga.
