Four workers are dead after a drone attack overnight on the southern industrial area of Volgograd, Russia, and two people have been taken to hospital, regional governor Andrei Bocharov said on Friday.
He accused Ukraine of the drone strike.
Tu-22M3 from Russian Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Tu-22M3 Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
A fire broke out at the Lukoil oil refinery in Volgograd following the drone attack, the independent Russian media outlet Astra said after analyzing witness images.
Officials have not confirmed whether the refinery was hit.
The “localized fires” were caused by falling drone parts, Bocharov said. However, he later added that the injured employees were working in the southern industrial area of Volgograd. “There’s some kind of fire in the south. The sky is bright pink,” one resident said.
The refinery can process around 14 million metric tonnes of crude oil per year (around 280,000 barrels per day), according to Lukoil.
The refinery was also hit on May 29, July 31, and October 2 of this year, and ceased processing crude oil following the October strike.
Around 5% of all crude oil processed in Russia in 2024 was processed at the refinery, producing 6 million metric tonnes of diesel and 1.9 million metric tonnes of gasoline.
It was unclear how much damage the refinery sustained or whether operations were affected.
Moscow Claims to Have Shot Down 1,198 Drones
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 1,198 Ukrainian drones over the past 12 hours until 8 a.m. Moscow time on Friday.
Attacks were reported in several areas of Russia, occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.
This figure was released by Moscow alone.
In a separate statement, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 467 drones were heading toward the capital region. “144 drones were neutralized on approach to Moscow,” he said. However, all four airports in the area were temporarily closed overnight to arriving and departing flights.
The governor of Rostov Oblast, Yury Slyusar, said there were fires at a production facility and warehouse. Sobyanin later admitted that one person had been injured in the barrage.
Long Lines for Fuel
“There are five to seven cars at each pump,” one driver said on Friday morning. Popular fuel grades increased by 50 kopeks per liter overnight at the chain stations, V1.ru said. Meanwhile, the regional administration noted that “demand is rising at [its] gas stations.” However, they added that fuel providers were asking drivers not to panic-buy.
Shortages have already hit at least six regions in Russia earlier this week.
Authorities in northwestern Karelia have limited how much fuel can be bought at participating Rosneft highway gas stations.
Drivers can only purchase 30 liters of fuel or 50 liters of diesel.
They have also stopped selling fuel into portable containers.
The priority was to “prevent panic buying” and “ensure the even distribution of fuel,” said governor Artur Parfenchikov.
Fuel Processing Could Be Massively Reduced
Reuters said on Tuesday that attacks on the plants, with a total capacity of around 300,000 metric tonnes per day, have impacted operations since late October.
Industry sources previously estimated that processing could be reduced by up to 200,000 metric tonnes per day.
The attacks have caused disruption or emergencies at nine of Russia’s 35 major refineries.
Reuters said attacks began again in late October after a ceasefire on attacking energy infrastructure, announced by Trump, did not come into effect.
Ukraine’s General Staff said on Thursday that it has attacked seven refineries, including five of Russia’s biggest, since October 30. They have framed the attacks as “long-distance sanctions” on Moscow’s war machine.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces have also confirmed the attack on Wednesday on the Omsk refinery.
This is the third time the refinery has been attacked since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week the attacks were continuing “in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities.”
Russian Diesel Yet to Arrive in U.S.
This shortage comes as Moscow has promised to deliver diesel to the United States and other countries under an agreement President Donald Trump announced in October.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia had “already started implementing it, which immediately brought prices down.” However, no Russian diesel has yet arrived in the U.S. since the deal. American diesel futures have dropped since the deal was announced; however, pump prices in the U.S. reached record levels last week.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
