Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin;
[ColonelCassad] The enemy is complaining that Russia is using clever tactics to minimize damage from drone strikes on refineries. Russian refineries have begun actively using so-called "purging" before attacks. If Ukrainian UAVs are detected en route to the refinery, a flare line, or more simply, a flare, is activated. This flare burns gas from the technical racks and installations at the refinery to prevent a large-scale fire and extensive destruction in the event of a drone strike. Of course, this doesn't protect the installations from damage from a strike, but it does minimize it considerably.
Therefore, if you see a photo or video of a fiery glow somewhere, it's not necessarily a drone strike; most likely, the refinery is simply burning gas.
This is a standard option. This is in addition to the work of mobile fire teams, nets, protective structures, and electronic warfare systems. Reducing the effectiveness of enemy attacks is only achieved through comprehensive measures.
P.S. The photo shows a fire at the Syzran refinery after a drone strike this summer.
P.S. 2. As it became known yesterday, someone's idea to fire Flamingo missiles at an oil refinery deep inside Russian territory didn't work out.
Part of the money was effectively stolen: the assembled missiles are easily intercepted by our air defenses, have mediocre performance characteristics, and, as icing on the cake, the Flamingo's main manufacturer turned out to be a Russian citizen.