Ufimsky oil refinery 1,400km inside Russia catches fire, local authorities report

A large fire broke out overnight at the Ufimsky oil refinery in the Russian city of Ufa some 1,400 kilometers inside Russia, local authorities reported on March 3.

Regional emergency services said the fire had been extinguished, adding: "No excess of harmful substances has been recorded near the plant."

No cause was given but Ukrainian forces have repeatedly launched a series of drone strikes aimed at damaging Russia's oil industry beginning in the spring of 2024.

Russian Telegram channels reported an explosion at the refinery before the fire broke out. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the reports.

Ukraine considers Russian oil facilities to be valid military targets, as fossil fuel profits supply Moscow's war operations.

Kyiv has not commented on the fire.

The refinery, owned by Bashneft, has a processing capacity of 168,000 barrels per day, with its oil supply mainly coming from Bashkiria and western Siberia.

It is one of Russia’s largest oil refineries. Ufa, the capital of Russia's Bashkortostan Republic, lies 1,520 km east of Moscow and 550 km north of Kazakhstan's border.