Major fire reported at oil terminal linked to Russia’s Novoshakhtinsk refinery after suspected drone strike

A large fire broke out on the night of October 9-10 at an oil loading terminal in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, amid a drone attack, according to images published by the Exilenova+ monitoring channel.

An OSINT analyst from independent Russian media outlet ASTRA identified the burning facility as the Yug Rusi oil loading terminal in the Zheleznodorozhny district of Rostov-on-Don, based on footage provided by local residents.

The terminal processes petroleum products for export, including shipments from the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, which belongs to the Yug Rusi group of companies.

Videos circulating on several Telegram accounts appeared to show large flames and thick smoke rising from the site. Exilenova+ later reported that the terminal was still burning.

The kyiv Independent could not independently verify the footage or determine the extent of the damage.

Russian regional authorities acknowledged a fire and said air defenses were functioning, but did not confirm damage to the terminal, and Ukrainian military officials did not claim responsibility for the reported attack.

ASTRA also reported damage to a residential building in the Donskaya Sloboda complex in Rostov-on-Don, identifying its location through images posted by residents. It remains unclear exactly what hit the building, amid reports of continued Russian drone activity and air defense operations.

The Yug Rusi oil loading terminal is separate from the main processing facilities of the Novoshakhtinsk refinery. According to specifications published by the refinery, its terminal in Rostov-on-Don has an annual capacity of 3.5 million tonnes for receiving and shipping petroleum products.

The reported attack follows a Ukrainian strike on the Novoshakhtinsk refinery on September 25, which sparked a fire at the facility, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil refineries, storage depots and fuel infrastructure in recent months in an attempt to disrupt fuel supplies to the Russian military and reduce Moscow’s energy revenues.

US President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to stop strikes on Russian oil facilities, arguing that the attacks are contributing to rising global diesel prices.

Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to stop targeting Russian energy facilities if Moscow agreed to stop its own attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, insisting any pause must be reciprocal.