--- title: "Russia's Fourth-Largest Refinery Halted: Drone Strike Disables Lukoil's Plant in Kostovo" description: "On August 26, a Ukrainian drone disabled the Lukoil-Nizhnekamsknefteorgsintez refinery in Kostovo — Russia's fourth-largest plant by capacity. Following a series of attacks, all of LUKOIL's major refineries have been halted." date: 2026-08-26T16:56:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/norsi-lukoil-refinery-halted-after-drone-strike tags: [lukoil, norsi, refinery, drone-strike, nizhny-novgorod, oil-refining, ukraine-russia-war] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Russia's Fourth-Largest Refinery Halted: Drone Strike Disables Lukoil's Plant in Kostovo ![Lukoil oil refinery in Kostovo halted after drone strike: distillation columns and storage tanks against a blue sky](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/27/norsi-lukoil-ostanovka-posle-udara-drona/norsi-lukoil-ostanovka-posle-udara-drona-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - NORSI in Kostovo suspended oil processing on August 26 after a Ukrainian drone strike, as confirmed by the Ukrainian General Staff. - NORSI is the second-largest gasoline producer and the fourth-largest refinery by capacity in Russia, processing around 15 million tons of oil per year. - Following a series of attacks (Volgograd on July 31, Perm on August 21, NORSI on August 26), all of LUKOIL's major refineries have been halted. - Sources disagree in their assessments: full shutdown versus a halving of capacity, as well as in the dating of strikes on the region. On August 26, 2026, the Lukoil-Nizhnekamsknefteorgsintez (NORSI) oil refinery in the city of Kostovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, suspended crude oil processing following a Ukrainian drone attack. Regional Governor Gleb Nikitin reported damage to an industrial facility in the region, and some time later the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that the target of the strike was one of the largest plants in Russia's oil refining sector. ### Confirmation of the Strike Target Initially, regional authorities limited themselves to a general statement about damage to an "unspecified industrial facility." However, the Ukrainian General Staff later clarified that the target was specifically NORSI — the second-largest gasoline producer and the fourth-largest refinery by capacity in Russia. According to RBC-Ukraine, on the night of August 26 the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the plant, and a fire broke out on its premises as a result of the hit. ### All of Lukoil's Major Plants Halted The strike on NORSI was the final one in a series of attacks after which, according to available data, all of the major Russian refineries of the company LUKOIL have ceased operations. The Perm Refinery was halted on August 21 following a drone attack, and the Volgograd Refinery on July 31. Earlier, on August 14, Ukrainian drones attacked nearly a third of the country's major oil refineries. It is separately noted that PAO "Orsknefteorgsintez" — one of Russia's leading refineries — has been fully shut down following Ukrainian strikes. ### Production Capacity and Recovery Timelines NORSI is capable of processing around 15 million metric tons of crude oil per year, which makes it a critically important asset for the domestic fuel market. Sources, however, were unable to specify timelines for repairing the damage and resuming processing operations at the plant. This means that losses in gasoline and other petroleum product output may persist for an indefinite period. ### Contradictory Data Assessments of the scale of the damage and the dating of events vary among sources. For instance, the German outlet DW characterizes the consequences of the attack as a halving of the Lukoil plant's capacity, whereas other reports speak of a full suspension of crude oil processing at NORSI. In addition, a pravda.com.ua article describing a drone attack on a refinery in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast with a fire is dated, according to the link, May 2026 (2026/05/20), which does not match August 26. This may indicate either separate incidents in the same region or a dating inaccuracy in certain publications, so the exact extent of the damage and the chronology of strikes on this plant should be considered partially unconfirmed. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Russia's fourth-largest refinery halts oil processing after drone attack, - Reuters](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/chetvertiy-velichinoyu-npz-rosiyi-zupinyae-1787762630.html) - Подтверждает остановку NORSI (4-й по величине НПЗ РФ) после атаки дрона, ссылаясь на Reuters. - [Ukrainian drones disable one of Russia's largest refineries, – Reuters](https://www.unian.net/economics/energetics/voyna-v-ukraine-drony-udarili-po-odnomu-iz-krupneyshih-npz-rf-13389324.html) - Подтверждает вывод из строя крупного НПЗ РФ украинскими дронами. - [Lukoil plant's capacity halved after Ukrainian military attack](https://www.dw.com/ru/krupnejsij-zavod-lukojla-ostanovil-polovinu-mosnostej-posle-ataki-vsu/a-77255898) - Характеризует ущерб как сокращение мощностей вдвое, что расходится с версией о полной остановке переработки. - [Drones attack refinery in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast for the second time in 3 days: fire raging](https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2026/05/20/8035533/) - Описывает атаку с пожаром на НПЗ в Нижегородской области, но ссылка датирована маем 2026 (2026/05/20), что не совпадает с 26 августа — возможный отдельный инцидент или ошибка датирования. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Which plant was hit on August 26, 2026? **A:** According to the Ukrainian General Staff, a drone strike hit the Lukoil-Nizhnekamsknefteorgsintez (NORSI) refinery in Kostovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast — the second-largest gasoline producer and the fourth-largest refinery by capacity in Russia. ### Q: What is NORSI's capacity? **A:** The plant is capable of processing around 15 million metric tons of crude oil per year. ### Q: Are other LUKOIL refineries operating? **A:** According to available data, all of the company's major Russian refineries have been halted: Perm — after the August 21 attack, Volgograd — on July 31, and NORSI — on August 26. ### Q: When will the plant resume operations? **A:** Sources were unable to specify timelines for repairing the damage and resuming processing operations. ### Q: Are there discrepancies in damage assessments? **A:** Yes: some sources (including DW) speak of a halving of capacity, while others report a full suspension of processing. In addition, certain publications date the strikes on the region to May 2026, which does not match August 26.