Ukrainian drones target Saratov oil refinery in Russia, source says
A security source claims Ukrainian intelligence's drones hit the Saratov oil refinery, a Rosneft plant in Russia, leading to explosions and damage at the facility.
On 8 November, a Ukrainian intelligence source told Liga that Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) carried out a drone strike on the Saratov oil refinery, a facility owned by the Russian energy company Rosneft.
According to the source, the HUR’s drones were able to reach the Russian city of Saratov and hit the local oil refinery during the overnight hours.
Videos shared by locals showed a fire at the facility:
The information about multiple explosions in Saratov’s Zavodskoy district, where the refinery is located, was confirmed not only by local residents on social media but also by the Russian regional authorities.
The governor of Saratov Oblast, Roman Busargin, initially stated that air defenses had successfully repelled the drone attack, but later acknowledged that allegedly some debris had fallen in the industrial zone of the Zavodskoy district. Busargin said that as a result of the “air defense operation,” 13 windows were blown out in one of the nearby residential buildings.
According to Saratov24, drone debris crashed on the premises of the Saratov oil refinery, reportedly hitting a fuel oil tank and one of the specialized installations. The source providing this information to journalists could not confirm whether a fire had occurred.
The source within the Ukrainian military intelligence confirmed the drones hit one of the refinery’s processing units as well as fuel storage tanks, referring to reports by local residents. Prior to this, Russian propagandists had reported seeing a plume of smoke coming from the direction of the refinery.
The Ukrainian side has not officially reported any strike on the facility. The extent of the damage to the refinery can be assessed once high-quality satellite images become available.
Related:
- First-ever drone strike on Chechnya sparks fire at special forces university
- Satellite imagery backs Ukrainian claims of successful strike on Russian drone facility
- Five arrested in Ukraine for helping Russia restore drone-damaged refineries
- Ukraine’s Tver ammo depot attack featuring jet drones lowers Russian threat to Baltics
- Russia claims it downed 144 drones on their way to Moscow
- Drone hits Russia’s Kstovo oil refinery for the second time
- Ukraine attacks a Russian oil refinery in the Rostov region
- Ukrainian strikes reduce Russian oil refining by nearly 17%
- Zelenskyy: SBU managed to hit over 30 Russian refineries, terminals, and oil depots with drones
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