Fire Erupts at Major Oil Refinery in Yaroslavl Region

YAROSLAVL, Russia — A fire broke out Wednesday morning at the Slavneft-Yanos oil refinery, one of Russia’s largest, in the Yaroslavl region. Authorities described the incident as ‘man-made’ and confirmed it was not related to recent Ukrainian drone strikes.

Yaroslavl region Governor Mikhail Yevrayev addressed concerns from residents who feared a possible attack, stating in a Telegram post, ‘Residents were concerned this could be the result of an enemy drone attack. But what happened has nothing to do with it.’

Local media shared eyewitness videos showing a thick plume of black smoke rising from the facility, located over 240 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of Moscow. Reports indicate firefighters extinguished the blaze within four hours, allowing refinery operations to resume.

Slavneft, a joint venture between Rosneft and Gazprom Neft, is ranked among Russia’s top 10 crude oil producers. According to Reuters, the refinery has an annual capacity of 15 million metric tons, approximately 300,000 barrels per day.

Notably, the refinery was previously targeted by Ukrainian drones in January 2024. Since early August, Ukraine has intensified drone strikes against Russian oil refineries, raising concerns about potential fuel shortages across the country.