Drones Strike Lukoil Oil Refinery in Volgograd for Ninth Time, Massive Fire Erupts

On the night of February 10–11, strike drones struck the Lukoil oil refinery in Volgograd.

Volgograd Region Governor Andrey Bocharov confirmed that the facility had been targeted.

Following the strike, a large fire broke out at the refinery, and local residents reported hearing multiple explosions. According to the governor, the blaze started on the refinery’s grounds in the southern part of the city.

However, numerous photos and videos indicate that the target was specifically the Lukoil–Volgogradneftepererabotka oil refinery.

Meanwhile, the Telegram channel Dnipro Osint, after analyzing available materials, reported that fuel and lubricant storage tanks on the refinery grounds were likely hit. The refinery also activated a so-called “blowdown” procedure, with flare stacks operating at full capacity.

The refinery is located at coordinates 48.49091108588251, 44.624078040543004.

Today’s strike on Lukoil–Volgogradneftepererabotka marks the ninth successful operation by the Ukrainian Defense Forces against this refinery. Over the past two years, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted the plant, at times forcing it to completely suspend operations.

The previous drone attack on the facility took place on November 6, 2025. On that occasion, the drones successfully hit their target despite claims by local authorities that the threat had been repelled – something later confirmed by satellite imagery.

On September 18, more than ten explosions were reported at the refinery. The strike damaged equipment and forced management to temporarily halt the production cycle. Earlier, on August 14, drone strikes disabled two process pipelines and a primary crude oil processing unit.

In May 2025, a series of nighttime strikes damaged the ELOU-AVT-1 and ELOU-AVT-6 units and severed control cables for the air coolers. Earlier that year, on January 31, a strike at one of the key processing units led to a fire.

In February 2024, drones also struck the ELOU-AVT-5 unit, which plays a crucial role in crude oil separation. The resulting fire took more than three hours to extinguish.

Lukoil–Volgogradneftepererabotka Refinery

Lukoil–Volgogradneftepererabotka is the largest producer of petroleum products in Russia’s Southern Federal District and a key element of the enemy’s fuel logistics chain.

This oil refinery is geographically the closest of all major Russian oil refineries to the front line, which makes it crucial for supplying the occupying military forces in southern Ukraine and Crimea.

The refinery has a processing capacity of nearly 15 million tons of crude oil per year. It mainly produces diesel fuel, heavily used by armored vehicles, and aviation kerosene for military aircraft and helicopters.

The plant also manufactures lubricants essential for maintaining military machinery. Lukoil carried out extensive modernization, including the launch of a hydrocracking complex, which significantly increased the output of light petroleum products.