Drones strike Russia's Ryazan oil refinery and Rostov Oblast overnight
On the night of September 6, drones attacked Russia's Rostov and Ryazan oblasts, hitting the Ryazan Oil Refinery and causing explosions and a fire in Bataysk. Ukrainian-language sources framed the strikes as a Ukrainian operation against strategic Russian energy and military targets.
Key points
- Drones attacked Russia's Rostov and Ryazan oblasts on the night of September 6.
- The Ryazan Oil Refinery was struck and a fire broke out after the attack.
- Explosions and a fire were reported in Bataysk, Rostov Oblast.
- Local Telegram channels reported a massive drone attack on Rostov-on-Don, with drones circling for more than four hours and a damaged residential building visible on footage.
- In 2024 the refinery processed 13.1 million tons of crude oil, about 4.9% of Russia's total refining, and produced 2.2 million tons of gasoline, 3.4 million tons of diesel, and 4.3 million tons of fuel oil.
- The refinery was previously forced to halt operations after strikes on May 15 and July 29, the latter reported by Ukraine's General Staff.
Why it matters
The Ryazan Oil Refinery is one of Russia's larger processing facilities, accounting for roughly 4.9% of national refining in 2024. Striking it for a third time in 2025, alongside a broader drone assault on Rostov Oblast that reached residential areas, points to a sustained campaign against Russian energy infrastructure and population centers near the Ukrainian border.
What happened
On the night of September 6, drones hit targets in Russia's Rostov and Ryazan oblasts. In Ryazan, unknown drones struck the Ryazan Oil Refinery and a fire broke out at the site. In Rostov Oblast, explosions and a fire were reported in Bataysk, while local Telegram channels described a large-scale drone attack on Rostov-on-Don lasting more than four hours, with gunfire and a helicopter audible overhead. Footage from Rostov-on-Don showed a residential building with window frames shifted on several floors.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Both Ukrainian-language outlets explicitly framed the overnight events as Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory, leading their coverage with the hit on the Ryazan Oil Refinery. They supplied production and capacity figures for the refinery to underline its strategic importance and highlighted damage effects, including the fire at the plant and the damaged residential building in Rostov-on-Don.
Background
The Ryazan Oil Refinery processed 13.1 million tons of crude oil in 2024 and produced 2.2 million tons of gasoline, 3.4 million tons of diesel, and 4.3 million tons of fuel oil over the previous year, according to industry sources cited by Reuters. Ukraine's General Staff publicly reported a Ukrainian drone strike on the same facility on July 29, and the refinery had earlier been forced to halt operations after a strike on May 15.