Ukrainian drones attack Volgograd oil refinery and other Russian facilities
Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR), under the Ministry of Defense, is reported to be responsible for the attack on the Volgograd oil refinery in the early hours of May 12. Public broadcaster Suspilne reports, citing sources, GUR drones also struck two other sites in Russia the same night.
The UAVs targeted not only the Volgograd refinery but also the Kaluganefteprodukt oil depot in the settlement of Chelovekovo in the Kaluga region and the Novolipetsk steel plant in Russia's Lipetsk region. "The targets were hit. All of these attacks were carried out by the GUR," a source told the Suspilne.
Explosions near the Lukoil-owned Volgograd refinery were heard around 2:30 a.m. local time. Residents reported on social media that they heard the distinctive sound of drones flying by.
The governor of the region, Andrei Bocharov, said that a fire broke out at the plant after the strike but was quickly extinguished, with no casualties reported. This same refinery was previously hit on February 3, resulting in damage to oil processing installations.
"Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka" is the largest oil product manufacturer in the Southern Federal District, with a capacity of 14.8 million tons. The Kaluganefteprodukt oil depot in Chelovekovo was also previously struck on April 28, when a gasoline tank exploded on the premises.
The Novolipetsk steel plant has also been previously targeted by Ukrainian drones—at least twice this year, once in April and once in February.