Fire breaks out at Russia's Saratov oil refinery after another Ukrainian drone assault

Multiple Ukrainian drones targeted strategic facilities in Russia’s Saratov Oblast overnight on 11 February, hitting a major oil refinery and causing explosions in the area of a military airbase, according to Ukrainian and Russian officials, and local sources. Fires erupted at the Saratov oil refinery, while residents of nearby Engels, home to Russia’s strategic bomber base and its supply oil depot, reported explosions.

Ukrainian forces have intensified their strikes on Russian military installations, industrial hubs, and energy infrastructure over the past four months. According to collected data, over the four months, Ukraine launched at least 66 successful attacks on strategic targets inside Russia.

The Saratov oil refinery, operated by Rosneft and previously known as the Kreking Plant, caught fire after the attack, Telegram channel ASTRA reported, sharing footage from local residents. The facility reportedly has an annual processing capacity of 7 million tons of oil. The Ukrainian Telegram channel Supernova+ claimed that Ukraine used Sigma drones in the attack.

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Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin confirmed damage to an “industrial facility” but attributed it to alleged “drone debris crash” rather than direct strikes. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed intercepting 40 drones across five regions, including 18 over Saratov Oblast.

Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, confirmed the Ukrainian attack and highlighted the refinery’s strategic importance, saying that the Saratov oil refinery is one of Russia’s key fuel infrastructure facilities. He says the facility plays a crucial role in supplying the Russian army with fuel, remaining as critical for military logistics as it was during World War II.

Local residents reported multiple explosions in Saratov, with windows shaking in residential buildings and car alarms triggered. Militarnyi noted that videos showed drone engine sounds, small arms fire, and searchlights attempting to locate the attacking drones:

Additionally, residents of Engels, near Saratov, reported loud explosions around the Engels-2 military airfield, which hosts Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers used for missile strikes against Ukraine.

The Saratov oil refinery and Engels are located about 600 km from the frontline in Ukraine. The latest attack follows a previous Ukrainian drone strike on the same refinery on 14 January that triggered a large fire. That day’s operation, conducted jointly by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces, also targeted Engels-2 airfield infrastructure and hit the Rosrezerv Crystal fuel depot in Engels, igniting tanks containing rare aviation fuel.

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Fire breaks out at Russia’s Saratov oil refinery after another Ukrainian drone assault