Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign has struck deep inside Russia again, igniting a massive fire at the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery in Volgograd overnight on 14 August. The attack set off explosions, triggered a fuel spill, and forced the temporary closure of the city’s airport.
The Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka plant is Russia’s largest petroleum producer in the Southern Federal District, with an annual capacity of 14.8 million tons. It is located roughly 500 km from the war zone.
Southern Russia’s largest refinery hit overnight
Russian Telegram channels, including Astra, reported explosions and fires at the Lukoil facility in the early hours. Volgograd Oblast governor Andrei Bocharov claimed the region came under a massive drone attack. He alleged that falling debris from intercepted drones caused petroleum products to spill and ignite at the refinery. Bocharov said firefighting crews were deployed immediately and claimed there were no casualties.
Multiple explosions and fire after the strike
Local accounts described several blasts before the blaze engulfed parts of the facility. Russian sources later confirmed that the refinery was the site of the attack. Authorities shut down Volgograd’s airport during the incident, citing safety concerns.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed its air defenses destroyed 44 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea, including nine over Volgograd Oblast. It alleged that 14 drones were downed over the Black Sea, seven over Russian-occupied Crimea, seven over Rostov Oblast, four over Krasnodar Krai, two over Belgorod Oblast, and one over the Azov Sea.
Previous strikes on the same facility
This was not the first time the Volgograd refinery was targeted. Ukrainian drones reportedly struck the plant on 13 August, hitting the Krasnoarmeysky district where the facility is located. On 15 January, Russian media reported an explosion and subsequent fire at the refinery. In 2024, Ukrainian drones also attacked the plant twice — on 3 February and 11 May.