Ukraine claimed on Saturday to have hit one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in a drone strike, igniting a fire at the facility more than 700 miles inside Russian territory.
The strike on the Taneco refinery in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan – one of Russia’s largest and most modern refineries – was the second time Ukrainian forces had targeted it within a year, according to Lieutenant Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation.
Social media images, geolocated by CNN, appear to show large flames and smoke in the dark sky as workers evacuate through the snow from the burning building.
Despite the footage, the press service of the Republic of Tatarstan denied a fire at the plant, claiming the images actually depicted a mock evacuation during a safety exercise.
The Taneco refinery has a refining capacity of over 16 million tons of oil annually and “plays a key role in supplying fuel to the Russian army,” according to Ukrainian official Kovalenko.
“The destruction of refineries and oil depots directly affects Russia’s ability to wage an intense war,” he added.
Kovalenko stated that the refinery had also been targeted in the spring of 2024, with the attack damaging its main processing unit.
In April, Ukrainian drone strikes in Tatarstan targeted both a Shahed drone assembly plant and a key oil refining unit at the refinery, one of Russia’s five largest, sources told CNN.
The April attack marked the furthest Ukraine had struck into Russian territory since the war began.