Ukrainian Drones Slam Massive Lukoil Refinery Deep in Russia – Again

Ukrainian drones targeted Russia’s Volgograd region early on Friday, Jan. 31, with one of the drones striking the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka oil refinery, local Telegram channels reported.

The attack sparked a fire at the facility after drone debris fell on the site, according to regional governor Andrey Bocharov. The fire was quickly extinguished, but one refinery worker was injured and hospitalized.

Local residents in the Krasnoarmeysky district reported hearing explosions and gunfire near the plant around 3 a.m. “Horror, the whole apartment shook,” one resident wrote in a VKontakte group.

This is not the first incident at the refinery. Lukoil facilities have become frequent targets of Ukrainian drone and cyberattacks.

On Jan. 15, a fire broke out at the plant, forcing the shutdown of its diesel hydrotreating unit. The cause of the fire remains unclear, though local reports suggest “something fell” onto the facility before an explosion occurred. Russian emergency services deny any “external impact,” and the Russian Ministry of Defense reported no drone attacks in the region.

The refinery, among Russia’s top 10 by production, processed 13.7 million tons of oil in 2023. The shutdown has cut its diesel production by half – roughly 10,000 tons per day.

Located in Russia’s Southern Federal District, the Volgograd refinery accounts for nearly 7% of the country’s diesel production. It also produces significant volumes of gasoline and fuel oil. However, the plant has faced disruptions before, with Ukrainian drone strikes causing shutdowns in February and May last year.

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Russia’s oil industry is under strain, with overall refining volumes in 2024 dropping to their lowest levels since 2012 – down 3.2% compared to the previous year.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defense forces intercepted 49 Ukrainian drones overnight across seven regions. The Rostov region saw the most activity, with 25 drones shot down, followed by eight in Volgograd, six in Kursk, four in Yaroslavl, and two each in Krasnodar, Belgorod, and Voronezh.

In the Rostov region, drone debris knocked down a power transmission pole, cutting off electricity in one of the city districts. In the Voronezh region, a drone struck a car on the highway, injuring the driver.