Drone attack sets oil refinery ablaze in Russia’s Saratov
Photo: local authorities have not yet commented on the consequences (t.me/mchs_official)
On the night of July 8, unknown drones attacked two Russian cities at once – Saratov and Borisoglebsk. Fires were recorded in both cities, according to Russian Telegram channels and OSINT public pages.
Saratov
At approximately 2:14 am, the governor of the Saratov region, Roman Busargin, stated that the Russian Ministry of Defense had reported a threat of drone attacks.
"Locally, in areas of possible threat, warning systems may be activated. All emergency services have been put on full alert," he wrote on social media.
Local channels also reported that restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures were introduced at the local airport.
Starting at 02:40, residents of Saratov began complaining about explosions, after which OSINT public pages reported a drone attack on the Saratov oil refinery, better known as Kreking. In addition, footage appeared showing a fire in the area of the facility.
Drone attack sets oil refinery ablaze in Russia’s Saratovhttps://t.co/A0Z3nBnBAD pic.twitter.com/KLOwocWpDK
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) July 8, 2026
Drone attack sets oil refinery ablaze in Russia’s Saratov (Photo: Exilenova+)
Borisoglebsk
During the night, OSINT public pages reported that Borisoglebsk in Russia's Voronezh region also came under drone attack. A fire was also recorded there.
However, there was conflicting information in the public pages about the target of the attack. Some suggested that an oil depot was hit, while others wrote that the target was the local airfield, which hosts Su-34, Su-35, Su-30SM fighters and other aircraft.
Drone attack sets oil refinery ablaze in Russia’s Borisoglebsk (Photo: Exilenova+)
Local authorities have not yet commented on the situation in any way.
Other attacks
On the night of May 31, the Defense Forces of Ukraine also attacked the Saratov oil refinery, causing a fire. This facility is one of the key oil refining enterprises in the Volga region.
The Ukrainian attack on July 6 stopped the Omsk oil refinery, which is the largest in Russia.
By the way, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andrii Kovalenko, reported yesterday that the fuel shortage in Russia will only increase amid massive Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries. He added that the top oil refineries in Russia are no longer operating.
