A fire broke out at an oil refinery in Ufa following explosions. Drones were shot down in several regions of Russia.

A fire broke out at the Ufa Oil Refinery in Russia's Ufa. Prior to this, explosions were heard, but authorities did not report any drone attacks.

This information was shared by the Telegram channel Astra and the head of one of Ufa’s districts, Rustem Khamitov.

Initially, residents of Ufa reported a powerful explosion at the refinery. Surveillance cameras indicate that this occurred on March 3 at 2:38 AM local time. Subsequently, firefighters confirmed the outbreak of a fire but did not specify the cause.

According to Russian rescuers and Khamitov, the flash occurred in the area of the incineration furnace at the facility. The fire has since been extinguished, yet no official cause has been provided.

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The oil refining complex consists of three production sites — "Bashneft-UNPZ," "Bashneft-Novoil," and "Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim." OSINT projects geolocated the footage of the fire and concluded that the L-24-7 unit at the refinery was affected. Additionally, storage facilities for petroleum products were reportedly under threat.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the downing of seven drones over the territories of Lipetsk, Rostov, and Belgorod regions. There was no mention of Bashkortostan, where Ufa is located.

About the Ufa Oil Refinery

Following this incident, the head of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Andrey Kovalenko stated that the Ufa oil refining complex is one of the largest in Russia. It consists of several enterprises, with a capacity of approximately 20 million tons of oil per year.

Ufa is among the largest oil refining centers in Russia. In terms of total processing volumes, the Bashkortostan region ranks in the top five oil refining centers in the country.

The refinery holds strategic significance for the Russian army, as it is part of a group of enterprises that supply fuel to the armed forces. Its products include aviation fuel, diesel for military vehicles, and lubricants necessary for the operation of armored vehicles, aviation, and automotive transport.