On the night of November 4, residents of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, reported about the explosions. A bright glow over the city was caught on video. The eyewitness footage also shows a fire that broke out after the attack. ASTRA analyzed the footage and came to the conclusion that the photo was taken from the village of Novolikeevo. According to an analysis by ASTRA, the fire occurred in the southeastern part of the industrial zone, where two oil companies are located at once — SIBUR-Kstovo and Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez. They are in close proximity to each other.

The SIBUR-Kstovo petrochemical plant, as stated on the website, produces ethylene, propylene, benzene, as well as a number of hydrocarbon fractions. At the same time, the Ukrainian media wrote that it produces components for explosives.

According to media reports, LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez is one of the leading refineries of Russia and is important for the provision of the Moscow region. The installed capacity for primary oil refining is about 17 million tons per year. The company produces more than 50 types of products: automotive, aviation and diesel fuels, as well as bitumen, paraffins, etc.