Ukraine Drone Strike Hits Russian Oil Refinery in Samara Region

Ukraine struck an oil refinery in Russia's Samara region on Friday, ending a two-week pause in attacks on Russian oil facilities that followed US pressure over rising fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections. The drone attack on the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery caused a major fire, with thick columns of dark gray smoke visible in a dashcam video. The Rosneft-owned facility, which processes about 8.8 million metric tonnes of crude oil annually, was hit for the second time this year. The unofficial pause was initially expected to last until after the November 3 US midterms, according to The Wall Street Journal. Kyiv has targeted Russian energy sites to cut military fuel supplies and reduce financial inflows funding the war.