A Ukrainian drone attacked the main gas pipeline control center in the Saratov region of Russia on the morning of March 13.

Telegram channel Supernova+ published a video of the strike.

The drone was identified by its appearance as a Ukrainian Liutyi kamikaze drone, which is actively used for strikes on important facilities in the aggressor country.

The footage shows the drone diving toward the facility while workers and passersby watch and record the event on video.

Then, there is an explosion from the detonation of the Liutyi’s warhead, and smoke rises. However, no fire is visible.

Later, Roman Busargin, the Governor of the Saratov region, confirmed the attack and reported that due to the strike, there was damage to “non-residential facilities,” without specifying which particular enterprise was attacked.

It was only later that Russian Telegram channels and social media revealed the target was the linear production control center for the main gas pipelines in Petrovsk, a city located 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

The Petrovsk Linear Production Control Center for Main Gas Pipelines is a subsidiary of PJSC Gazprom. It is responsible for transporting natural gas in seven directions and the gas supply to settlements in the Saratov and Penza regions.

The control center comprises 21 structural subdivisions and services over 1,044 km of pipelines. The presence of five compressor shops and powerful gas pumping units enables the transportation of up to 90 million cubic meters of gas per day.

In the early hours of March 11, strike drones hit oil depots in the Moscow and Oryol regions.

Liutyi drone

The Ukrainian-made Liutyi drone is equipped with a fixed-wheeled chassis for takeoff by acceleration on a runway or a well-paved road. Liutyi is powered by an internal combustion engine with a three-propeller push-pull propeller located in the aft part.

In the bow, a large hood provides access to the compartment with a warhead weighing up to 75 kilograms. Militarnyi recently published an article about Ukrainian drone strikes on important facilities in Russia in the first half of 2024.