SBU Alpha Drones Strike Lukoil Perm Refinery — Chemical Alert, Units 'Out of Action'

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) Alpha special operations center launched drone strikes against the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery in Perm, Russia on April 30, 2026 — over 1,500 km from Ukrainian-controlled territory, one of the deepest strikes of the war. The SBU reported the attack hit the AVT-4 primary refining unit, setting both the vacuum and atmospheric distillation columns ablaze and 'effectively putting the unit out of operation.' At least four large crude storage tanks (each ~50,000 cubic meters, or 314,000 barrels) also caught fire, with satellite imagery showing a black smoke plume extending approximately 130 km east of Perm. A chemical emergency alert was issued via city loudspeakers; residents were ordered to remain indoors and drink only boiled water. Local universities shifted to distance learning and evacuations were ordered from nearby areas. The Transneft-operated Perm linear production-dispatch station, which supplies crude to the refinery, was also struck for the second consecutive day. Perm's governor claimed 'no casualties or significant destruction,' which contradicted the visible fires and emergency response. The Perm refinery processes approximately 13 million metric tons of crude oil annually, making it one of Russia's largest and a key source of revenue for the Kremlin's war effort.