Drones Hit Russian Oil Hub and Crimea: 15 Airports Shut Down

Unmanned aircraft struck a major oil refinery in Tatarstan and an industrial zone in occupied Crimea overnight, triggering fires and forcing a wide-scale shutdown of civilian airspace. Satellite sensors detected intense heat signatures at the Nizhnekamsk refinery, where thick black smoke was reported rising over the facility. In Crimea’s Krasnoperekopsk district, an industrial area was also set ablaze following the drone strikes. The attacks prompted Russian aviation authorities to halt flights at 15 airports, disrupting air travel across multiple regions. No official casualty figures have been released, and local officials have not yet confirmed the extent of the damage. The strikes mark a significant escalation in long-range drone operations, targeting infrastructure deep inside Russian territory and on the occupied peninsula.