Ukraine launched drone strikes on July 2 targeting one of Russia's largest oil refineries and infrastructure in Russian-occupied territories, according to Ukraine's General Staff. The Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, was hit, causing a fire and damaging its primary crude oil processing unit. This refinery is Russia's fourth-largest and a major producer of gasoline and diesel fuel, with an annual processing capacity of approximately 17 million metric tons. The attacks are part of Ukraine's strategy to degrade Russia's military and economic capabilities.
Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Governor Gleb Nikitin stated that the region had been repelling Ukrainian drone attacks since the previous night, with air defense forces destroying 30 aerial targets. He reported one fatality resulting from the attacks. The Lukoil refinery had previously halted operations following an earlier Ukrainian drone strike on June 25.
In addition to the refinery strike, Ukrainian forces targeted infrastructure within Russian-occupied territories. These included a railway bridge over the Siverskyi Donets River near Stanytsia Luhanska in Luhansk Oblast, which is used by Russian forces for transporting military assets. Strikes were also reported on a Russian command and observation post near Vilshana in Kharkiv Oblast and a drone warehouse near Kamianka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
