Ukraine launches nearly 300 drones against Russia overnight, hits oil depot, command post of elite Rubikon drone unit
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Editor's note: This is a developing story.
Ukraine hit an oil refinery in Russia's Saratov Oblast, targets in Russian-occupied Ukraine, including the command post of an elite Russian Rubikon drone unit in Mariupol, as part of its overnight attack on March 21, Ukraine's General Staff confirmed.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on March 21 that overnight, Russia intercepted 283 Ukrainian drones over Bryansk, Smolensk, Kaluga, Belgorod, Voronezh, Rostov, Volgograd, Tula, Ryazan, Kursk, Saratov, Samara, and Moscow oblasts, as well as the Republic of Tatarstan and Russian-occupied Crimea.
The cities of Saratov and Engels in Saratov Oblast and Tolyatti in Samara Oblast were also targeted in the attack. The towns host key Russian military and industrial sites that have been previously targeted in Ukrainian drone strikes, including the Saratov oil refinery and Engels-2 military airfield.
The General Staff said on March 21 that the Ukrainian attack damaged an RVS-10000 vertical storage tank at the Saratov oil refinery.
"This facility processes crude oil and produces fuels and lubricants used to support the occupying (Russian) army," the General Staff wrote.
The Saratov oil refinery is among the oldest oil refining facilities in Russia. As of 2023, it had a refining capacity of 4,8 million tons.
Saratov Governor Roman Busargin claimed that attacks on the regional center injured two people and damaged multiple homes. Meanwhile, residents shared images and videos on social media indicating power outages in the city.
Residents also shared footage of fires near the Saratov oil refinery, according to the Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova Plus.
In Russian-occupied Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck a command post belonging to Moscow's elite drone unit known as the Rubikon Center for Unmanned Technologies, the General Staff said on March 21.
A core part of Russia's unmanned system program to bolster its drone warfare against Ukraine, Rubikon specializes in both hunting down Ukrainian drone pilots and shooting their drones in the sky.
Rubikon has not commented on the General Staff's claim as of the time of publication. The Russian Defense Ministry has also not reacted to the report.
The General Staff added that a Russian Army repair unit in occupied Khliborobne, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and a command and observation post of Russia's unit in Paraskoviivka, Donetsk Oblast, were struck.
An independent Russian Telegram news channel, Astra, reported that overnight, residents of Tolyatti experienced a series of explosions and a fire. Based on analysis of eyewitness footage, the fire erupted near two chemical plants located close to each other, Togliattikauchuk and KuibyshevAzot.
In Russia's Bashkortostan, drones were shot down near the oil refineries in Ufa, Radium Khabirov, head of the Republic of Bashkortostan, reported on March 21.
Khabirov also claimed that two drones crashed into a building under construction in the Zaton neighborhood, setting the insulation on fire, with two construction workers sustaining minor injuries.
In Moscow Oblast, nearly 30 drones were shot down over Moscow and the surrounding region on March 20-21, according to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports at the time of publication. The Ukrainian military has not commented on the alleged attacks.
Ukraine routinely targets military and industrial facilities in Russia with long-range drone strikes.
Previous operations have targeted the Engels-2 airfield, one of Russia's key strategic military bases. Located 450 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, Engels-2 is home to the 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment and the 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment.
The airfield houses three types of strategic bombers regularly used in missile attacks on Ukraine: the Tu-95, Tu-22, and Tu-160.
Kyiv has also struck the Saratov oil refinery in a number of attacks. The facility lies nearly 600 kilometers (370 miles) east of the front line in Ukraine. Owned by Russian state oil giant Rosneft, the refinery has a processing capacity of about 140,000 barrels of crude per day. It produces more than 20 petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, and bitumen.
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Abbey Fenbert
The Kyiv Independent news desk
