Russian oil refinery struck by Ukrainian drones in Volgograd, military confirms

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Volgograd oil refinery was struck by Ukrainian drones overnight on May 29, Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SOF) and the General Staff reported.

Ukraine's General Staff said that a fire was reported on the facility's premises. The AVT-1, AVT-3, AVT-5, and AVT-6 primary oil refining units and the secondary oil refining units were damaged. The plant halted production after the attack.

The facility is owned by the major Russian energy company Lukoil. It has a processing capacity of approximately 15 million tons of crude oil per year and serves as a strategic fuel hub between Russia's front line and rear units, the SOF said.

The Volgograd Refinery supplies the Russian Black Sea Fleet with gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel, among other products. The products are also exported via transport hubs on the Caspian and Black Seas.

It is one of the largest refineries in Russia and the largest in Volgograd Oblast, according to open-source data.

Previously, on May 29, an independent Russian Telegram news channel, Astra, reported that the refinery was set ablaze as a result of the Ukrainian drone attack.

The refinery has been struck several times, including in February, in an attack confirmed by Ukraine's General Staff.

Volgograd Oblast Governor Andrey Bocharov claimed a residential building was struck in the Ukrainian drone attack. He also said that a 90-year-old man was killed in the attack in the Oblast, and two people were injured.

Astra reported that the building address cited by authorities is located two kilometers (1.25 miles) from the Titan-Barrikady military plant, a major Russian defense facility that produces launchers for strategic missile systems.

Volgograd is located about 354 kilometers (220 miles) from Ukraine's eastern border with Russia and approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory near Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast.

Ukraine strikes Russian military infrastructure and energy sites that fund and supply Russia's war in an effort to reduce Moscow's military capability.

Overnight on May 27, Ukraine struck Russia's Tuapse oil refinery and multiple Russian military targets, including air defense systems, command posts, and automated reconnaissance systems used by the Russian Air Force, Ukraine's General Staff reported.