On the night of 13 November, Ukraine’s Defence Forces struck the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka oil refinery in Volgograd. The strike was confirmed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The operation was carried out by operators of the 1st Separate Unmanned Systems Centre and the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade “Madyar’s Birds”, in coordination with the Special Operations Forces, the Defence Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, the State Border Guard Service, and other components of Ukraine’s Defence Forces. This was reported by the Unmanned Systems Forces.
The facility’s capacity exceeds 15 million tonnes of oil per year, equivalent to about 5.6% of Russia’s total refining volume. It is one of the country’s ten largest refineries and the biggest producer of petroleum products in the south of the country.
The plant produces petrol, diesel and aviation fuel, and is also involved in supplying the Russian army with fuels and lubricants.
As a result of the strike, a fire broke out on the site. The following were hit: the primary oil processing units AVT-1, AVT-3, AVT-5 and AVT-6, the hydrotreating unit, and the loading and unloading rack, as well as six tanks with a capacity of 2,000 cubic metres each.
The Unmanned Systems Forces noted that this was not the first time the facility has been hit. Ukrainian forces are systematically attacking sites that the Russian side restores and continues to use to sustain the war against Ukraine.
The General Staff stresses that such operations are aimed at weakening Russia’s military-economic potential and reducing its ability to continue armed aggression against Ukraine.