Ukrainian drone strikes cause explosions at Russian oil refineries in Volgograd and Yaroslavl
Volgograd Oil Refinery, the sixth largest in Russia, annually processes approximately 14 million tons of crude oil. While local authorities assert that the plant sustained minimal damage, footage from the scene depicts significant explosions.
Overnight Ukrainian drone strikes targeted Russian oil refineries in the Volgograd and Yaroslavl regions, as reported by the Russian media outlet Shot.
According to Shot, around 4:00 AM, four UAVs were neutralized above the "Slavneft-YANOS" oil plant in Yaroslavl, with no casualties reported. In contrast, at the Volgograd "Lukoil VNPZ," officials claim to have downed ten drones; debris from which struck the ground, injuring a 49-year-old worker with shrapnel wounds to the leg.
Volgograd Region Governor Andrey Bocharov confirmed the attack on the refinery, claiming that eight drones had been repelled in the region. Wreckage from a downed drone caused a fire at the plant, resulting in one worker being hospitalized.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that on the night of January 31, air defense systems allegedly destroyed 49 Ukrainian drones over seven Russian regions.
As Russia's sixth-largest refinery, the Volgograd Oil Refinery's capacity is approximately 14 million tons per year. Its output includes gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, and aviation kerosene, noted Andrey Kovalenko, head of the Center for Counteracting Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.
In related incidents, drones recently targeted the Lukoil oil depot in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Region. All launched devices successfully struck their targets.
Additionally, on the night of January 26, Ukrainian drones struck the Ryazan Oil Refinery. Residents reported hearing around ten explosions throughout the region.