A large fire broke out at an oil loading terminal in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, during the night of October 9-10 amid a drone attack, according to images published by the Exilenova+ monitoring channel. An OSINT analyst from independent Russian outlet ASTRA identified the burning facility as the Yug Rusi oil loading terminal in the Zheleznodorozhny district of Rostov-on-Don, based on images provided by local residents. including shipments from the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, which belongs to the Yug Rusi group of companies. Videos circulating on several Telegram accounts appeared to show large flames and thick smoke rising from the scene. Exilenova+ later reported that the terminal was still on fire. The Kyiv Independent was unable to independently verify the images or determine the extent of the damage. Russian regional authorities acknowledged a fire and reported that air defenses were operating, but did not confirm damage to the terminal, and Ukrainian military officials had not claimed responsibility for the reported attack. ASTRA also reported damage to a residential building in Rostov-on-Don’s Donskaya Sloboda complex, identifying its location through images posted by residents. It was unclear what hit the building amid reports of continued drone activity and Russian air defense operations. The Yug Rusi oil loading terminal is separate from the main processing facilities of the Novoshakhtinsk refinery. According to the refinery’s published specifications, its Rostov-on-Don terminal has an annual capacity of 3.5 million metric tons to receive and ship petroleum products. The reported attack follows a Ukrainian attack on the Novoshakhtinsk refinery on September 25, which caused a fire at the facility, according to the Ukrainian General Staff. Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russian oil refineries, storage depots and fuel infrastructure in recent months in an effort to disrupt fuel supplies to the Russian military and reduce Moscow’s energy revenues. US President Donald Trump has urged Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian oil facilities, arguing that the attacks contribute to rising global diesel prices. Zelensky has said Ukraine is prepared to stop attacking Russian energy facilities if Moscow agrees to stop its own attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, insisting that any pause must be reciprocal.
