Ukrainian Drones Strike Saratov Oil Refinery, Fire Breaks Out

Ukrainian Defense Forces’ strike drones successfully hit the Saratov oil refinery.

This is supported by data from NASA’s FIRMS fire monitoring service.

The attack took place overnight on May 30–31, 2026, causing a large fire at the facility.

Local residents reported that a thick smoke plume from the fire could be seen dozens of kilometers away from the refinery.

Despite the attack, the governor of the Saratov region reported no damage to the oil refinery. In a Telegram post, Roman Busargin stated that only civilian infrastructure was damaged.

An assessment of the strike on the Saratov oil refinery, made by the Telegram channel 𝔽𝕒𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕟 𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 ᵐᵃᵖ, indicates damage to several key facilities across the plant, including:

• Catalytic reforming unit LCh-35-11/600 (51°27’30.00″N 45°56’15.13″E)
• ELOU-AVT-6 unit (51°27’24.38″N 45°56’12.93″E)
• Visbreaking unit (51°27’21.08″N 45°56’12.39″E)
• Catalytic reforming unit L-35-11/300 (51°27’30.59″N 45°56’26.31″E)
• Pentane–hexane fraction isomerization unit (51°27’24.57″N 45°56’26.47″E)

After a previous Ukrainian drone strike in March, the refinery suspended operations. At that time, Militarnyi reported damage to a secondary oil processing unit and a 10,000 m³ vertical storage tank (RVS-10000).

In addition, a 10,000-ton diesel fuel tank caught fire on the refinery grounds, and the fire covered at least 400 square meters.

Drone debris fell on the local TPP-2 power plant, damaging a cable. This caused a temporary shutdown of the refinery while repairs were carried out.

PJSC Saratov Oil Refinery is part of Rosneft and is one of the oldest and most strategically important oil refining facilities in Russia.

According to available data, the refinery has an annual processing capacity of 7.0 million tons of crude oil (about 50.7 million barrels), though it has operated below full capacity in recent years.

In 2023, the oil refinery processed 4.8 million tons of crude oil. It mainly refines Urals-grade oil, sourced from the Saratov and Orenburg fields.

The facility produces more than 20 types of petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, bitumen, and vacuum gasoil. A significant portion of its output is supplied to the Russian military and the Engels airbase.