Satellite images monitor the effects of a Ukrainian strike targeting the largest oil refinery in Russia news

Recent satellite images, analyzed by the Al Jazeera Network’s open source unit, revealed the extent of damage to the Omsk refinery, the largest oil refinery in Russia, following a drone attack for which the Ukrainian army claimed responsibility last Monday, in one of the most severe strikes targeting a strategic facility inside Russian territory.

A comparison between satellite images taken before and after the attack shows traces of burning in one of the sectors of the refinery located in the city of Omsk in southwestern Siberia.

Scenes and field data

Activists circulated on X, video clips documenting the outbreak of fire and rising plumes of smoke at the Omsk oil refinery following a drone attack.

The Ukrainian General Staff said that the attack led to a fire breaking out inside the refinery, and considered it part of operations targeting the Russian military and logistical infrastructure.

On the other hand, the Governor of Omsk Province, Vitaly Khotsenko, confirmed that the refinery was attacked by drones, noting that Russian air defenses shot down most of the drones, that no human losses were recorded, and that the relevant agencies began dealing with the effects of the attack.

Deep in Siberia

The Omsk refinery is located in the city of Omsk in southwestern Siberia, about 2,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, according to the army, which makes it one of the farthest Russian facilities that Kiev has declared targeting since the outbreak of the war.

The refinery is the largest oil refining facility in Russia, and constitutes one of the main pillars of fuel production and supply to the domestic market and the Russian energy sector.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the operation as “an important achievement for the Ukrainian armed forces,” saying that “Siberia, too, is now within the range of Ukrainian precision strikes.”

The targeting of the Omsk refinery comes as part of an ongoing Ukrainian campaign targeting energy facilities and military and logistical infrastructure inside the Russian interior, in an attempt to weaken Moscow’s capabilities to support its military operations.

During the past months, Kiev claimed responsibility for attacks on a number of oil refineries, fuel depots, and air bases in various Russian regions, including facilities thousands of kilometers away from the front lines, in light of an increasing reliance on long-range drones.