Ukrainian Defense Forces Strike Saratov Oil Refinery and Engels-2 Airbase

The Ukrainian Defense Forces struck Rosneft’s Saratov oil refinery, triggering a major fire, as well as the nearby Engels-2 strategic aviation airbase.

Videos published by the Exilenova+ Telegram channel and an analysis by the ASTRA news outlet indicate that both sites were targeted.

Overnight on August 2, residents of Saratov and the surrounding region reported hearing explosions and seeing a large fire. The regional governor confirmed that the area had come under attack and said preliminary reports indicated there were casualties.

According to an analysis by Dnipro OSINT, the drones precisely struck several key targets, including the ELOU-AVT-6 crude oil distillation unit, which has an annual processing capacity of 6 million tonnes of oil.

Saratov Oil refinery at the moment pic.twitter.com/zSO3wzGjgP

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) August 2, 2026

The ELOU-AVT-6 unit is designed for crude oil desalting and primary atmospheric distillation. It processes crude oil supplied to the refinery from oil pumping stations.

During primary distillation, crude oil is separated into fractions – including naphtha (gasoline feedstock), kerosene, diesel, and fuel oil (mazut) – which are then further processed into finished petroleum products. Disabling this unit effectively halts the refinery’s entire downstream processing chain.

The Rosneft-owned Saratov Oil Refinery is located approximately 600 kilometers (370 miles) from the front line. It is one of Russia’s oldest oil refineries. As of 2024, the facility processed approximately 5.8 million metric tonnes of crude oil annually, accounting for about 2.2% of Russia’s total refining capacity.

According to an assessment by the Financial Times, as of late July, Ukrainian long-range drone strikes had disrupted more than 30% of Russia’s operational oil refining capacity and 45% of its nominal refining capacity.

Strike on the airbase

The Engels-2 strategic aviation airbase also came under attack. It is located approximately 17 kilometers (11 miles) from the targeted refinery. The airbase is capable of hosting all major types of Russia’s strategic bombers, including the Tu-160, Tu-95MS, and Tu-22M3.

Following the successful Operation Spiderweb in June 2025, Russia was forced to redeploy much of its strategic aviation fleet to the Far East. As a result, Engels-2 is now used as a temporary staging airbase, where Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers are armed with Kh-101 cruise missiles before carrying out strikes against Ukraine.

On July 16, as a result of a Ukrainian drone attack on this airbase, the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed a Tu-95MS bomber that was stationed at the facility.

The aircraft’s critical damage was confirmed by a satellite image showing that its tail section was completely destroyed, making the bomber beyond repair.