Russia blames technical issues for doused blaze at Ufa refinery
March 3 (Reuters) - A fire doused on Monday after burning for hours overnight was sparked by technical issues at the Ufimsky oil refinery in the Russian city of Ufa, authorities said on Monday, but gave no further details.
The Bashneft-owned refinery, about 1,500 km (932 miles) east of the border with Ukraine, has capacity of 168,000 barrels per day, LSEG data shows, with Russian media saying its oil supply comes mainly from surrounding Bashkiria and western Siberia.
"The fire is related to technical issues," the region's emergency ministry said on the Telegram messaging app, citing initial findings. The fire broke out near a furnace, it added.
Bashneft's press service told the Interfax news agency that the fire did not affect the main production facilities. Earlier, the emergency ministry said no excess of harmful substances was recorded in the air near the refinery.
About 100 firefighters helped battle the fire, which was finally put out at about 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) Interfax said.
Several Russian channels on Telegram, including the SHOT Telegram, said the fire followed an explosion at the refinery, but Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
There were no overnight reports of a drone attack on Bashkiria, sandwiched between the Volga river and the Ural mountains.
The Russian defence ministry said its air defence units downed seven Ukrainian drones overnight over Russia, but Bashkiria did not figure on its list. The ministry gives only a tally of destroyed drones, not the number launched.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Its forces have systematically targeted Russian energy infrastructure to try to disrupt Russia's economy and the ability to fund the war in Ukraine.
If it was a drone strike, when Russia retaliates Ukraine will cry "oh poor us! We need help!".
It’s a refinery. These things can happen for a multitude of reasons. Hopefully there were no casualties.
This X post saying that it was a Ukranian drone strike...
https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/1896330776045924488
Article by Reuters -
Russia blames technical issues for doused blaze at Ufa refinery
March 3 (Reuters) - A fire doused on Monday after burning for hours overnight was sparked by technical issues at the Ufimsky oil refinery in the Russian city of Ufa, authorities said on Monday, but gave no further details.
The Bashneft-owned refinery, about 1,500 km (932 miles) east of the border with Ukraine, has capacity of 168,000 barrels per day, LSEG data shows, with Russian media saying its oil supply comes mainly from surrounding Bashkiria and western Siberia.
"The fire is related to technical issues," the region's emergency ministry said on the Telegram messaging app, citing initial findings. The fire broke out near a furnace, it added.
Bashneft's press service told the Interfax news agency that the fire did not affect the main production facilities. Earlier, the emergency ministry said no excess of harmful substances was recorded in the air near the refinery.
About 100 firefighters helped battle the fire, which was finally put out at about 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) Interfax said.
Several Russian channels on Telegram, including the SHOT Telegram, said the fire followed an explosion at the refinery, but Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
There were no overnight reports of a drone attack on Bashkiria, sandwiched between the Volga river and the Ural mountains.
The Russian defence ministry said its air defence units downed seven Ukrainian drones overnight over Russia, but Bashkiria did not figure on its list. The ministry gives only a tally of destroyed drones, not the number launched.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Its forces have systematically targeted Russian energy infrastructure to try to disrupt Russia's economy and the ability to fund the war in Ukraine.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-reins-oil-refinery-fire-ufa-ria-says-2025-03-03/