Massive fire breaks in Russian oil plant near Ukraine border

• A portion of the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery caught fire after drones were detected flying above the plant.
• Local government sources told Russian news that one of the drones hit heat transfer equipment at the refinery.
• No one was hurt in the blaze, which has been extinguished, rescue services said.

A portion of the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery caught fire on Wednesday, 8 kilometres from the Ukraine border after drones were detected flying above the plant.

Social media images depicted a drone flying towards the refinery before a massive fireball and a plume of black smoke billowed into the July sky.

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The international news agency was unable to independently verify the social media reports and footage. The plant’s representatives could not be reached immediately for comment.

The local emergency service confirmed that the fire has been extinguished, according to the Russian news agency.

The rescue service reported that no one was hurt at the refinery, which has an annual capacity of up to 7.5 million tonnes.

The plant is one of the few constructed in Russia over the previous few decades. In 2009, activities commenced.

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