Ukrainian drones hit oil refinery, Ozon warehouse as Russia's Saratov comes under attack

Ukrainian drones struck the Russian city of Saratov overnight on Sept. 11, hitting a local oil refinery and a logistics hub operated by e-commerce giant Ozon, according to Ukraine's General Staff and satellite imagery published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Videos circulating on social media appeared to show drones and Russian air defenses in operation in the region.

The attack on an oil refinery owned by Russian energy giant Rosneft sparked a fire at the facility, Ukraine's General Staff said, adding that the extent of the damage was still being assessed.

The Saratov Oil Refinery has been repeatedly targeted during Ukraine's long-range strike campaign against Russia's energy infrastructure. The facility, which is part of state oil company Rosneft, has an annual processing capacity of roughly 4.8 million metric tons of crude oil.

Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin posted on Telegram around 2 a.m. local time about a threat from unmanned aerial vehicles, claiming that emergency services had been placed on full alert.

Soon after the strike on the refinery, a logistics hub belonging to Russian e-commerce giant Ozon was also reported to be set ablaze in Saratov. Video published by Exilenova+ appeared to show a major fire emanating from the facility shortly after explosions were heard.

Satellite imagery published later in the day by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) showed the Ozon warehouse had been completely gutted by fire following the Ukrainian attack. The logistics center covers 100,000 square meters.

"Good results from our long-range strikes aimed at reducing Russia’s capacity to wage war. An enterprise and an oil industry facility were hit in the Saratov and Volgograd regions…Thank you to everyone who is developing Ukraine’s strength so that there will be no safe havens left in Russia for anything that supports the war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 11.

Ukraine also struck targets in the Black Sea, Dagestan, Udmurtia, and the Tula, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, and Samara regions, he added.

A prominent Ukrainian defense company, Fire Point, which manufactures the FP-1 long-range drone, confirmed that its drones were used in the attack on the warehouse.

"Last night, Ukraine's Defense Forces used FP-1 drones to erase another Ozon warehouse complex, this time in Saratov," the company said in a statement on social media. "Eighty-five thousand square meters wiped out. Over 30 million items out of stock permanently."

The facility is the seventh Ozon logistics hub to have been damaged or destroyed by Ukrainian forces since Aug. 22, when Ukraine first struck the company's hub in Chapayevsk, Samara Oblast. The number rises to 33 when attacks on logistics centers operated by Ozon's competitor Wildberries are included, according to RFE/RL.

Ozon is Russia's second-largest e-commerce marketplace, behind Wildberries, and operates an extensive network of warehouses, fulfillment centers and delivery infrastructure across the country.

Elsewhere in Russia, explosions were also heard in the port city of Kaspiysk in the Dagestan Republic. No information was immediately known as to the outcome of the reported attack.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the reports or the extent of any damage.

Saratov is located approximately 460 kilometers (285 miles) east of the Ukrainian border with Russia, near Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries have emerged as one of the most economically significant aspects of Kyiv's long-range drone campaign, contributing to fuel shortages and pushing Russian production down sharply over the summer.

Russian refinery throughput fell to about 3.8 million barrels per day in August, down from around 5 million barrels per day a year earlier, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Energy Aspects.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian refineries in an effort to disrupt fuel supplies and reduce energy revenues that help finance Moscow’s war.