Fire rages at oil refinery in Russia's Syzran as authorities report drone threat – photos, video

A fire has broken out at an oil refinery in the city of Syzran in Russia's Samara Oblast amid reports of a "drone threat".

Source: Astra, a Russian media outlet; Supernova+ and Exilenova+ Telegram channels; Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya); Samara Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev

Details: Fedorishchev announced that a "drone threat" alert had been issued in the oblast at around 04:00. He added about 40 minutes later that a Kovyor (Carpet) plan had been introduced in the region, temporarily closing the airspace to flights. [A Kovyor plan is an airport operational safety procedure for airport services and personnel when an unidentified object appears in the sky – ed.]

Astra, citing local residents, reported that a major fire is raging in Syzran.

Many photos and videos circulating online show a large column of smoke and open flames on the territory of the local oil refinery.

Reports indicate that one of the refinery's oil processing units is on fire.

Fedorishchev later said the region is under a drone attack, and that two people had been killed and several injured.

He made no mention of a fire at the refinery and reminded people that filming and sharing footage of the attack and its consequences is prohibited.

The Syzran oil refinery has been targeted multiple times before, most recently in April.

The facility processes between 7 and 8.9 million tonnes of oil annually and is involved in supplying the Russian Armed Forces.

Rosaviatsiya also reported the temporary closure of several airports across Russia, specifically those in Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Makhachkala and Kaluga.

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