Ukrainian drones struck the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery overnight on 11 February, sparking a large fire visible across Russia's Volgograd, as photos from the city confirmed. The attack marked the ninth successful hit on the plant in two years and the first in 2026, Militarnyi says.
Explosions across Volgograd as drones hit refinery fuel tanks
Around 9:00 p.m. Kyiv time, authorities in Volgograd Oblast declared a drone threat and Russia's aviation agency closed Volgograd's airport. Within hours, residents across multiple districts reported loud explosions both inside the city and on its outskirts.
Photos and videos of the fire began flooding social media almost at midnight on 11 February. Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ shared images of the blaze at the facility. Monitoring channels identified the target as the Lukoil oil refinery.
Volgograd Oblast Governor Andrei Bocharov eventually confirmed a fire had broken out "at a facility in southern Volgograd" but avoided naming the refinery directly. Multiple photos and videos, however, pointed squarely at the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka plant.
Telegram channel Dnipro OSINT analyzed the footage and said drones had preliminarily struck fuel and lubricant storage tanks on the refinery's grounds. The plant also activated so-called "purging," with flare lines running at full capacity, Dnipro OSINT reported. As of 12:15 a.m., Exilenova+ wrote that the drone attack was still ongoing and explosions could still be heard.
Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka is the largest oil product producer in Russia's Southern Federal District and sits closer to the front line than any other major Russian refinery. This makes it a critical fuel supply node for Russian occupation forces in southern Ukraine and Crimea.
Ninth strike in two years on Russia's closest major refinery to the front
The 11 February attack was the ninth successful drone strike against the plant since early 2024, according to Militarnyi. Ukrainian drones have repeatedly hit the facility, forcing full production shutdowns each time.
The previous strike came on 6 November 2025, when drones hit the target despite local authorities' claims of having repelled the threat — satellite imagery later confirmed the damage. On 18 September, more than ten explosions were heard on the refinery's grounds, damaging equipment and forcing a temporary production halt. In August, drone hits knocked out two processing pipes and a primary oil distillation unit.
