Neptunes on rocket fuel: Kamensky plant hit, Kstovo refinery on fire

Kamensky plant: what was hit

Overnight on 31 October Ukraine’s Defence Forces struck a Russian defence-industry enterprise — the Kamensky plant in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Rostov region — Ukraine’s General Staff said.

According to the General Staff, the strike was combined: attack drones and the Navy’s Neptune coastal missile systems were used. A fire at a finished-products warehouse was confirmed, and four production units were damaged.

Why the plant matters

The plant produces solid rocket propellant for Uragan, Smerch and Tornado-S multiple-launch rocket systems, as well as for a number of missile systems and aircraft weapons. “Strikes on solid rocket propellant production facilities reduce the Russian army’s ability to attack Ukrainian settlements with multiple-launch rocket systems,” the General Staff said.

The Kyiv Independent notes that Kamensky is one of Russia’s largest chemical plants, located about 15 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. It is sanctioned by the EU, the UK and the US for its role in the war against Ukraine.

The same day Ukrainian forces hit four Russian military supply depots near occupied Khartsyzk and Dokuchaievsk in Donetsk region, Novovasylivka in Zaporizhzhia region and Novoaidar in Luhansk region. The General Staff had also reported hitting an Iskander-M launcher in Russia’s Kursk region.

Kstovo: refinery fire (not yet confirmed by the General Staff)

Overnight on 1 November, according to the Exilenova+, ASTRA and Supernova+ monitoring channels cited by Ukrainska Pravda and The Kyiv Independent, drones attacked the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez (NORSI) refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region. Footage of a large fire began circulating on social media around 04:11; local residents complained of explosions, and the fire reportedly broke out in several places at once.

Later the governor of Nizhny Novgorod region, Gleb Nikitin, acknowledged the attack on the region, hromadske reported. He claimed “more than a hundred” drones were destroyed and wrote that “an industrial enterprise suffered significant damage” in the Kstovo district, without naming it. He said temporary power cuts and heating restrictions were possible during repairs. Ukraine’s Defence Forces had not commented at the time of publication, and it is unknown what was used in the attack. Exilenova+ also reported a possible strike on the Novogorkovskaya combined heat and power plant in Kstovo, which supplies local petrochemical plants — this has not been confirmed. According to RBC-Ukraine, restrictions were imposed on Nizhny Novgorod airport during the attack.

About NORSI

The refinery is one of Russia’s largest: design capacity of around 17 million tonnes of crude a year, fourth among Russian refineries and second in gasoline output. It lies about 800 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Ukraine has struck NORSI before, including a confirmed strike on 26 August that caused a large fire and forced the plant to suspend operations, The Kyiv Independent recalled.

What next

Strikes on defence and oil facilities are part of a strategy to reduce Russia’s resources for war: from fuel for the rocket systems that shell frontline towns to gasoline and refining revenue. The General Staff usually confirms or comments on such strikes within a day; for Kstovo, official data and satellite imagery are still awaited.