Video: Massive Fire Breaks Out After Ukrainian Drone Attack On Russia’s Kaleikino Oil Pumping Station

Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Kaleikino oil pumping station in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan overnight on February 22-23, causing a fire at one of the most important supply nodes of the Druzhba oil pipeline system.

The facility, located near Almetyevsk, lies more than 1,200 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

The Kaleikino station feeds crude into the Druzhba pipeline, a critical energy artery supplying Russian oil to Eastern and Central Europe, including Hungary and Slovakia.

Sources cited by RBC-Ukraine said drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) hit the main Kaleikino oil pumping station near Almetyevsk.

Witnesses reported hearing six explosions, followed by a large-scale fire. Oil storage tanks on the station’s premises caught fire.

Russian emergency services vehicles were dispatched to the scene. Footage circulating online showed flames and smoke rising from the industrial zone.

Video Credits: The Sun/YouTube

Local authorities in Almetyevsk later stated that Russian air defenses had intercepted several drones over the district, and falling debris caused a fire in an industrial area. Officials did not directly confirm damage to the Druzhba pipeline infrastructure.

The Kaleikino oil pumping station is owned by Transneft-Prikamye JSC, a regional division of Russia’s state pipeline operator Transneft. It serves as a primary convergence point for crude oil from Western Siberia and the Volga region.

At this hub:

• Oil from multiple producing regions is collected.
• Crude is blended and prepared for export.
• Supplies are directed into the westbound trunk pipeline feeding the Druzhba system.

The Druzhba pipeline, one of the world’s longest oil pipeline networks, transports Russian crude to refineries in Eastern and Central Europe. Hungary and Slovakia remain among the largest European recipients of Russian oil through this route.

Oil flows through Druzhba were halted on January 27, after Kyiv said a Russian drone strike damaged pipeline equipment in western Ukraine. However, leaders in Hungary and Slovakia claimed the pipeline could operate and accused Kyiv of withholding transit for political reasons.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reportedly described the outage as an act undermining Hungary’s energy security. Hungary announced it would veto the 20th EU sanctions package on Russia and block a major EU loan for Ukraine unless oil supplies resume.

Hungary and Slovakia have also warned they could suspend electricity exports to Ukraine. Electricity imports from these two countries account for roughly 70% of Ukraine’s imported power, while about half of Ukraine’s domestic generation capacity has been damaged or destroyed during the war.

References: newsukraine, ukrainetoday

Source: Maritime Shipping News