Recent satellite imagery shows commercial shipping containers being used to build barriers around fuel tanks and operational facilities at two Russian refineries, in a defensive measure likely intended to limit the effects of drone attacks and shrapnel, as well as the spread of fires within the sites. An image captured by Vantor on August 25 at the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Rostov Oblast shows dense rows of containers around a group of intact fuel tanks.
Protective nets also appear near some sensitive facilities, providing an additional layer of protection. Near the barriers, signs of burning and severe damage can be seen among a neighboring group of tanks. Another image of the same refinery shows similar barriers isolating specific tanks and operational buildings from their surroundings.
At the Nizhny Novgorod refinery, images captured by Vantor on August 29 showed rows of shipping containers extending across wide areas, forming a perimeter around sensitive facilities and pipeline networks.
Taganrog attack coincides with new fortifications
The fortifications coincided with a drone attack on fuel depots adjacent to the military airport in Taganrog, in Rostov Oblast, on Saturday night, September 12. A comparison of images captured by Planet on September 11 and 12 showed thick black smoke rising from the tank area and spreading over large sections of the airport’s runways.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian Security Service forces targeted an FPV drone production facility, drone storage sites and an oil-products tank in Taganrog, along with a radar station and a Pantsir-S2 system. Zelenskyy released footage he said documented part of Ukraine’s long-range operations, including clips linked to strikes on sites in Taganrog.
Long-range strikes on oil infrastructure intensify
Long-range strikes have escalated in the Russian-Ukrainian war in recent months, targeting factories, refineries, warehouses, port infrastructure and ships. At the same time, Kyiv has expanded drone production and international cooperation in innovation and defense supplies.
Britain also announced an air-defense support package, while Canada pledged to allocate one-third of its new drone production to Kyiv.
