Ukrainian drones struck oil facilities in Novoshakhtinsk, in Russia’s Rostov region, overnight, hitting a major fuel terminal that supplies Russian military operations in the Donbas region and serves as an important route for crude oil exports. The attack came hours after US President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase Russian diesel supplies to international markets, although Moscow had indicated days earlier that it was considering lifting its export restrictions.
Rostov regional governor Yuri Slyusar said Russian forces had shot down more than 50 drones during the attack. Despite those interceptions, the wave of strikes penetrated Russian defences, with videos and photographs taken by witnesses showing a large fire at the oil facilities. According to an analysis by the independent Russian channel Astra, the projectiles struck the Yug Rusi loading terminal, which is separate from the refinery and can handle approximately 3.5 million tonnes of fuel annually.
The attack also damaged a bridge, prompting regional authorities to suspend rail transport “in all directions”, according to Slyusar. The extent of the damage to the terminal and its impact on fuel shipments were not specified in the source.
Novoshakhtinsk is a priority target for Ukraine because its fuel storage facilities supply Russian armed forces operating near the occupied territory of Donetsk as Moscow seeks to capture the wider Donbas region. The site’s refinery has an annual processing capacity of about five million tonnes of oil, equivalent to roughly 100,000 barrels a day.
The refinery has faced several Ukrainian attacks since early summer and suspended operations on 25 September following another strike. The latest attack adds to the pressure on Russia’s petroleum infrastructure, which has been affected by Ukrainian operations amid domestic fuel supply difficulties.
Trump announced the diesel agreement only hours before the latest strike, presenting it as a measure to release Russian reserves and reduce fuel prices ahead of the US midterm elections, scheduled for the following month. He said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to US and global markets, followed by another 500,000 tonnes during November and one million tonnes immediately afterwards.
However, the announcement followed reports that Russia was already preparing to relax its restrictions. Two days earlier, the Russian news agency Interfax reported that officials were considering lifting the diesel export ban. Sources cited by the agency said the measure could be introduced “to avoid the overaccumulation of several refineries”.
Moscow had prohibited diesel exports by domestic producers in July because Ukrainian bombing campaigns had contributed to shortages in the Russian domestic market. Diesel is easier to refine than petrol, however, and the country’s refining industry had since recovered, according to the source.
The planned easing of diesel restrictions therefore appeared to be under consideration before Trump’s announcement, rather than a new concession secured through negotiations with Putin. The precise terms of the agreement announced by Trump were not independently detailed in the supplied account.
Russia continues to face difficulties in its domestic petrol market. The government has banned petrol exports until January 2027 and reduced fuel quality requirements from Euro-5 to Euro-2 to address the shortage.
The lower standard permits fuel containing more additives that are more harmful to engines and the environment. Such fuel is also not accepted in neighbouring countries, but is easier for Russian refineries to produce as they respond to the country’s energy supply crisis.
