Volgograd Oil Refinery on Fire After Ukrainian Drone Attack
Ukrainian drones struck the Volgograd oil refinery in Russia overnight into Friday, and it has reportedly halted operations because of the fire. Four people were killed in the Volgograd region and four more in the Samara region.
Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles attacked several targets in Russia overnight into Friday, 13 November, including the Volgograd oil refinery. The Ukrainian war-monitoring channel "Exilenova+" published videos showing a fire at the plant and said the facility had been forced to stop work as a result. The strikes come amid Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Andrey Bocharov, governor of the Volgograd region, said four people were killed and two injured in the attack. The independent Russian news site "Astra", citing local residents, reported queues at petrol stations in Volgograd after the strike and the fire.
The Volgograd refinery is one of the largest in Russia. It produces petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, fuel oil, petroleum coke, bitumen and base oils, and supplies oil products to Russia's southern regions.
Attacks in other regions
Russia's Samara region was also hit by Ukrainian drones. Its governor said four people died, while the number of injured was not specified. Ukrainian Telegram channels report that the target was the Samara oil depot, which receives and stores crude oil, blends different grades and handles its onward transport. It is described as the largest tank farm in Europe, with 71 tanks spread over 216 hectares.
Authorities in Rostov-on-Don said more than 120 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Rostov region. Ukraine's army General Staff, for its part, said three facilities in Rostov-on-Don linked to the production, storage and maintenance of Russian army drones were hit, including a plant making "Ionos" attack drones, the same company's warehouse, and the drone repair and maintenance firm "Aero-Hit". Neptun anti-ship cruise missiles were used in the attack.
Russia's Defence Ministry claims that 1,198 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight over 17 Russian regions and occupied Crimea. Russian authorities do not report how many drones were not intercepted, but experts estimate that 10–15% of the drones reach their targets.
