Ukrainian drones strike Russian oil refinery in Samara region

A Ukrainian drone attack on the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery in Russia's Samara region caused massive smoke and fires on Friday morning, with the regional governor reporting a record number of incoming drones. Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev stated that civilian infrastructure was damaged and that dozens of drones were destroyed by air defense forces and mobile fire crews. The refinery, part of the state-controlled Rosneft concern, has an annual capacity of about 8.8 million tons of oil and produces gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The attack comes despite reports from The Wall Street Journal that Ukraine had paused strikes on Russian refineries under US pressure, with the pause expected to last until after the November 3 US midterm elections. President Donald Trump has criticized the strikes for raising global fuel prices, and Ukraine's reliance on US intelligence and Starlink makes it vulnerable to such pressure.