Major Russian Oil Refinery in Volgograd Region Falls Victim to a Drone Attack

A fire erupted at a major Russian oil refinery in the southwestern Volgograd region overnight after a drone attack blamed on Ukraine, the regional governor said Saturday, Feb. 3. 

Ukraine has launched drone attacks on Russia for months following Moscow's almost two-year offensive. 

"Last night, the air defence and electronic jamming repelled an attack by drones in the Volgograd region's Kalachyovsky and Zakanalye districts," governor Andrei Bocharov said on Telegram.

"A fire started at the Volgograd refinery after one of the downed drones fell," he said, adding that the fire service had already brought the blaze under control by the start of the morning. No one was hurt, Bocharov said.

No one was hurt, Bocharov said.

The Volgograd refinery is operated by Lukoil, an industry giant, and is touted as the "biggest producer of oil products in the federal South district," covering eight regions in southwest Russia. The refinery is situated south of the city of Volgograd, some 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Local media outlet V1 published photos claiming to depict an overnight explosion during the attack. Residents reported hearing two explosions.

The Russian army said air defence electronic jamming had brought down or intercepted four drones in the region of Belgorod which borders Ukraine, two in Volgograd and one more in the Rostov-on-Don area.

The drone attack follows a series of Ukrainian strikes on such facilities. On the night of Jan. 29, a drone struck the Slavneft-Yanos oil refinery, reportedly felling next to a hydrocracking unit designed to purify raw materials.

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Mikhail Evraev, governor of Russia's Yaroslavl region, claimed that a drone attack was prevented by the electronic warfare (EW) system of the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery.

But local residents reported hearing an explosion from across different parts of the city.

According to Russian media, no one was injured. The scene is currently cordoned off, and the refinery's employees have been temporarily allowed to go home.

On the night of Jan 25, drones of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) attacked an oil refinery in the Russian city of Tuapse in the Krasnodar Territory.

"The SBU is striking deep into Russia and continues to attack facilities that are not only important for the Russian economy but also provide fuel for enemy troops. There will be many surprises ahead, the systematic work continues," a source told the Kyiv Post earlier this month.