Ukrainian Drones Strike a Refinery in Saratov that Supplied Fuel to the Russian Army

On the night of October 16, the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit a Russian oil refinery in Saratov.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this.

According to reports in the Russian media and statements by the aggressor country’s Ministry of Defense, drones were used to attack the refinery.

The Saratov oil refinery is one of the oldest oil refineries in Russia. It belongs to the Rosneft corporation. As of 2024, the refinery processed approximately 5.8 million tons of oil, accounting for 2.2% of Russia’s total refining volume.

It specializes in the production of gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, road and roofing bitumen, vacuum gas oil, and industrial sulfur.

The company is involved in supplying fuel to the Russian army and is a key supplier of petroleum products to the European part of Russia.

“Ukrainian Defense Forces are consistently implementing a set of measures to destroy critical elements of the Russian military-industrial base to deprive it of the opportunity to continue its aggression,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated.

At night in Saratov, Russia, locals heard a large number of explosions. They also reported a possible drone attack on an oil refinery.

The Supernova Telegram channel published a video from eyewitnesses with the sounds of drones and a possible fire at the refinery.

In particular, the local airport in Saratov was restricted due to the threat of UAVs: planes were not accepted or sent.

In the morning, the Ministry of Defense of the aggressor country stated that their air defense allegedly shot down 12 drones over the Saratov region.

It is noteworthy that the Ukrainian Defense Forces regularly attack the Saratov refinery. One of the strikes took place on the night of September 20. A fire broke out on the refinery’s premises.