A series of drone strikes hit Russia’s Volgograd region early Thursday, Aug. 14, igniting a fire at a major oil refinery.
Volgograd Region Governor Andrey Bocharov said falling drone debris caused oil products to spill and catch fire at the LUKOIL-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery.
“Firefighters quickly began extinguishing the fire. According to preliminary data, there are no casualties,” he wrote.
The Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery, the largest producer of petroleum products in Russia’s Southern Federal District, has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drones. It was also struck on Aug. 13, as well as on Jan. 15, Feb. 3, and May 11, 2024.
Residents reported hearing explosions after 2:30 a.m., particularly loud in the Krasnoarmiysky district. The Shot Telegram channel citing witnesses reported that five to seven blasts were heard, and debris from a downed drone caused fires and heavy smoke in one area.
The Exilenova+ Telegram channel reported several direct hits on the refinery and published footage from the site.
According to the outlet, NASA satellites recorded a large-scale fire at the facility, which has an annual refining capacity of 14.8 million tons.
At 11:29 p.m. on Aug. 13, Volgograd airport enacted the “Carpet” plan, temporarily closing for arrivals and departures.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that between 8:00 p.m. on Aug. 13 and 7:00 a.m. on Aug. 14, its air defenses destroyed 44 Ukrainian aircraft-type UAVs:
- 14 over the Black Sea
- 9 over the Volgograd region
- 7 over occupied Crimea
- 7 over the Rostov region
- 4 over the Krasnodar region
- 2 over the Belgorod region
- 1 over the Sea of Azov
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Air Force reported on Telegram that from 9:00 p.m. on Aug. 13, Russian forces launched two S-300/400 missiles, 45 Shahed attack drones, and multiple decoy drones against Ukraine.
Front-line areas in Donetsk and Chernihiv were hit with strike UAVs, and Sumy region was targeted with missiles.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down or suppressed 24 Shahed drones and decoys over the north and east of the country. However, 21 UAVs hit targets at 12 locations.
At 12:06, the General Staff of Ukraine confirmed on Telegram that, in the early hours of Aug. 14, units of the Unmanned Systems Forces and the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), in cooperation with other components of the Defense Forces, struck the Volgograd oil refinery, which supplies the Russian army with petroleum products.
“The strike by UAVs caused severe fires at the plant. The exact consequences of the damage are still being assessed,” the statement read.
The General Staff noted that the refinery processes over 15 million tons of oil annually - about 5.6% of all oil refined in Russia - and produces diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel, which are critical for the Russian military’s logistics.
“We are consistently working to reduce the production capacity of petroleum products in the aggressor country and weaken its army. Russia must fully feel the consequences of its aggressive policy and end its war against Ukraine,” the report said.
Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck a strategic oil and gas facility in Russia early on Wednesday, Aug. 13, targeting the Unecha oil pumping station (LDS “Unecha”) on the Transneft Druzhba main pipeline in the town of Unecha, Bryansk region.
Kyiv Post’s intelligence sources said the operation was conducted by HUR in cooperation with other units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Local Telegram channels reported several explosions in the town and nearby areas, followed by a large fire at the station. Russian emergency services were sent to the site.
Unecha is the largest hub of the Druzhba pipeline system, owned by the Transnefteprodukt holding. According to intelligence sources, the facility transports oil through a network stretching roughly 9,000 kilometers (5,592 miles) and plays a key role in supplying fuel to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
This was the second long-range strike on Russian energy infrastructure in recent days.
On Sunday, Aug. 10, HUR hit the Lukoil-Ukhtaneftepererabotka oil refinery in the Komi Republic, more than 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
HUR sources told Kyiv Post the refinery is a key supplier of fuel and lubricants for Russia’s occupying forces. The strike reportedly hit an oil products reservoir, causing a spill, and damaged a gas and gas condensate processing unit used to produce propane-butane and gasoline.