Volgograd Refinery Ablaze After UAV Attack as Russia Hits Poltava With Drones, Missiles

Drones reportedly attacked a Lukoil petroleum refinery in Volgograd, Russia, causing a fire, as Moscow attacked the energy infrastructure of the Poltava region on Tuesday, Aug. 19.

According to the Russian Telegram channel Astra, Volgograd residents initially reported explosions and a subsequent fire in the city.

Photos were also posted on social media, allegedly showing a flash of light after the UAV attack. 

The Russian Federal Aviation Administration reported the temporary closure of the local airport.

Later, regional governor Andrey Bocharov confirmed the fire in Volgograd after the UAV attack.

“The forces of the Russian Ministry of Defense are repelling a massive attack by unmanned aerial vehicles on the territory of the Volgograd region,” he wrote.

According to Bocharov, in the south of the city, as a result of falling fragments of a UAV, the roof of one of the buildings of hospital No. 16 and the refinery caught fire.

“Firefighters are working on-site to localize and extinguish the fires. According to preliminary data, there are no casualties,” the governor added.

Astra said that the oil refinery and the hospital are located several kilometers apart.

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Later, the pro-Kremlin agency RIA Novosti reported, citing local authorities, that the fire at the refinery in Volgograd had been extinguished.

A series of Ukrainian drone strikes hit Russia’s Volgograd region early on Aug. 14, sparking a major fire at the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery, the largest producer of petroleum products in the Southern Federal District.

Volgograd’s governor said falling debris caused oil products to ignite. The refinery, with an annual capacity of about 15 million tons – roughly 5.6% of Russia’s total – was also struck on Aug. 13. It supplies diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel to the Russian military.

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the attack, saying UAV strikes caused severe fires.

Earlier, it reported that Ukrainian operations against Russian enterprises and infrastructure in 2025 to date have caused an estimated $74.1 billion in losses, about 4% of Russia’s GDP, with nearly 80% of confirmed targets being oil and gas facilities.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on the morning of Aug. 19 that air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 23 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles, including 13 UAVs over the Volgograd region, and five each over the Rostov region and occupied Crimea.

Ukraine has not yet commented on this attack.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy reported that Russia had attacked the energy infrastructure of the Poltava region.

“Early on Aug. 19, Russian occupation forces carried out another massive attack on energy infrastructure facilities in the Poltava region, using both cruise missiles and strike drones,” the report on Telegram says.

The ministry revealed that several dozen drones simultaneously attacked one of the production facilities of Ukraine’s gas transportation system. The attack caused large-scale fires.

“Damage to the facility’s ground infrastructure has been preliminarily established. Specialists are already conducting a technical inspection of the equipment and assessing the extent of the damage,” the report added.

According to the ministry, the last attacks on oil refining infrastructure were recorded on June 15 and 21 of this year. In addition, more than 2,900 attacks on energy infrastructure have been carried out since March.

“The Ministry of Energy calls on the international community to increase sanctions pressure on the aggressor state and provide Ukraine with additional support to protect critical infrastructure facilities,” the statement says.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Telegram about a group strike “with long-range precision weapons, as well as strike drones on an oil refinery that supplies fuel to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbas.”

“The goal of the strike was achieved, all designated facilities were hit,” the report said.

Russian media released footage allegedly showing a Kh-101 missile hitting the Kremenchuk refinery. The video is circulating on Ukrainian social media, though Kyiv Post could not verify its time or location.

During talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, since 20:00 on Aug. 18, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 270 Shahed strike UAVs and drone decoys, five Iskander-M ballistic missiles, and five Kh-101 cruise missiles, per the Air Force report.

“As of 09:00 [0600 UTC], air defenses shot down/suppressed 236 air targets: 230 enemy Shahed UAVs and drone decoys of various types; 2 Iskander-M ballistic missiles; 4 Kh-101 cruise missiles,” the report said.

However, hits of four missiles and 40 UAVs on targets were recorded at 16 locations, with fragments of downed drones falling in three locations.