Ukrainian Defense Forces on the night of January 29th launched an aerial attack on russia using a large number of long-range drones — over a hundred according to russian reports. One of the targets of this assault was the Sibur-Kstovo enterprise, located close to the LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in the city of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Region.
The reports are mixed. Most Ukrainian sources, including the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, indicated that it was the refinery that came under attack. The Sibur-Kstovo enterprise itself, however, reports that it was caught in the strike, too: a fire broke out, and the workers were evacuated to a safe distance.
Read more: 12 Ukrainian Drones Strike Ryazan with Devastating Force: Why Did russian Air Defense Fail to Intercept Them?
At night, drones attacked the #Kstovo Oil Refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region of #Russia, known as "#Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez."A large-scale fire broke out at the facility.This is one of #Russia's key oil refineries, processing over 15 million tons of oil… pic.twitter.com/zjD2RCBURe — UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) January 29, 2025
It is actually quite difficult to tell these two facilities apart because they constitute a single industrial complex. Sibur-Kstovo, which takes part in producing ethylene, propylene, benzene, and other hydrocarbon products, is basically incorporated into the refinery's technological and production cycles.
But the true nature of this company is not just about that. In general the entire larger Sibur corporation is one of Putin's direct assets and part of the "common fund" belonging to his close circle. These relations were investigated by the russian online newspaper The Insider, their findings revealed key owners of Sibur are russian oligarchs nicknamed "Putin's wallets": Gennady Timchenko and Leonid Mikhelson, as well as family members like his ex-son-in-law Kirill Shamalov.
Important to note, Sibur-Kstovo became the target of the attack not only because its work directly enriches Putin and his circle but also because Sibur is one of the suppliers of raw materials for the production of explosives used in military.
The Proekt media project, run by russian opposition, has established that this company supplies products to the largest explosives manufacturer in the russian federation, the Sverdlov Plant in Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Region. The plant is stationed 50 km from Sibur-Kstovo. Moreover, Sverdlov is reported to be the only producer of octogen (aka High Melting Explosive, HMX) and hexogen (RDX) in russia.
The Ukrainian military has confirmed a "powerful fire" on the territory of the oil refinery after the drone strike and is currently clarifying the extent of damage inflicted. As noted, the Nizhny Novgorod Oil Refinery is "involved in providing support to the russian occupation army."
Read more: New Details Reveal the Extent of the Damage Caused to russia’s Drone Storage in Oryol Region
