War

Ukrainian drones targeted Russia’s “Gorky” oil pumping station in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast during the night of April 23, causing major damage to one of the country’s key oil transport facilities, according to a source from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) cited by the Kyiv Independent. The strike was reportedly carried out by the SBU’s Special Operations Center “A” and hit the facility in the village of Meshiha, which is part of Russia’s state-controlled pipeline giant Transneft.

Preliminary information indicates that three large oil storage tanks were damaged, triggering a massive fire that spread across roughly 20,000 square meters. The station plays an important role in transporting crude oil through domestic routes, including supplies to the Lukoil refinery in Kstovo, as well as supporting major pipeline corridors such as Surgut–Gorky–Polotsk. According to the Ukrainian source, “damage to such key facilities causes serious disruptions to oil supply logistics within Russia,” adding that pipeline operations are interrupted, refinery efficiency falls and transportation costs rise.

The source stressed that such attacks directly weaken Russian state revenues, saying this affects funds “used to finance the war against Ukraine.” The overnight assault was part of a much broader wave of drone strikes. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that more than 150 Ukrainian drones targeted Russian territory and occupied Crimea during the same night, with residents reporting explosions in multiple regions.

In occupied Crimea, attacks were reported at an oil depot in Feodosia. The Telegram channel Crimean Wind said the site was struck five times, sparking a fire, while residents across the peninsula reported hearing repeated blasts. In occupied Melitopol, a substation was also reportedly hit. Meanwhile, Kremlin-appointed Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev claimed Russian air defenses were actively repelling the attack and said several aerial targets had been intercepted over the city.

Drone strikes were also reported in Russia’s Samara Oblast for the second consecutive night. Explosions were heard in both Samara and Novokuibyshevsk, where one person was killed and two others were hospitalized after a drone struck a residential building. Witnesses described shattered windows on the upper floors of a multi-story block and a fire breaking out shortly after impact. Emergency teams evacuated residents and worked to contain the damage, while authorities declared an air raid alert across the region.

Flights at Kurumoch Airport were temporarily suspended as a precaution. Samara Oblast, located around 750 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, has repeatedly come under long-range drone attacks in recent months. The Kyiv Independent noted that it could not independently verify either the Ukrainian claims or statements made by Russian officials.