War

Ukraine strikes Saratov oil refinery, airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukraine's General Staff says

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Ukraine strikes Saratov oil refinery, airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukraine's General Staff says
A screenshot of footage that purports to show a drone attack on Saratov, Russia overnight on Nov. 28, 2025. (ExileNova+/Telegram)

Ukrainian forces struck the Saratov oil refinery, a drone storage facility at an airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea and other military targets overnight on Nov. 28, Ukraine's General Staff reported.

Residents in several Russian cities and in occupied Crimea reported hearing explosions overnight. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses shot down 136 Ukrainian drones, including 30 over Saratov Oblast and 29 over the occupied peninsula.

Ukraine struck the Saratov oil refinery, a facility that produces more than 20 petroleum products and supplies the Russian army. The strike sparked a fire at the site, though the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, according to the report.

Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted the refinery in Saratov Oblast this fall, with the previous strike recorded on Nov. 14. The latest Nov. 28 attack is the fifth since the start of the season.

One of the November strikes forced the plant to halt primary processing, according to Reuters.

During the attack, Ukrainian forces also targeted a drone storage facility at the Saky airfield in the village of Novofedorivka, Crimea.

Russian air defenses at the site were destroyed, including Pantsir S1 and Tor-M2 missile systems. Following the neutralization of the air defenses, Ukrainian troops destroyed the hangar storing long-range Forpost and Orion drones. Ukraine struck a Russian command and control center and a KamAZ military truck as well.

After the Ukrainian attack on Crimea, a fire was also reported near the Saky thermal power plant at the Yodobrom scientific and production association, according to the Crimean Wind Telegram channel.

Yodobrom, which produces chemical products and equipment from titanium and stainless steel, is located just 250 meters from the thermal power plant. In the evening and overnight, drones were spotted in the area, accompanied by shots and explosions, the report said.

In addition to targeting Russian territory and Crimea, Ukrainian forces attacked concentrations of Russian troops and fuel and lubricant depots in Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Ukraine has routinely targeted oil facilities in Russia and in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories in an effort to disrupt Moscow's military logistics and supply lines

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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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