Drones attack Russia's oldest oil refinery as fire erupts in Saratov
Photo: Russian rescue workers (t.me/mchc_official)
On the night of September 8, drones attacked the Saratov oil refinery in Russia. Residents reported explosions and a fire, and the region’s governor confirmed damage to civilian infrastructure and casualties, according to the ASTRA Telegram channel.
Residents of Saratov and the surrounding region reported explosions and a fire overnight. At 3:30 a.m., the region’s governor, Roman Busargin, warned of a drone threat, and an hour later confirmed that the attack had caused damage to civilian infrastructure and resulted in casualties.
According to ASTRA’s analysis of photographs, the drones specifically targeted the Saratov oil refinery—a facility that has been part of Rosneft since March 2013.
It is one of the oldest facilities of its kind in Russia, founded back in 1934. As of 2023, the plant’s crude oil processing capacity stood at 4.8 million metric tons.
Photo: A fire that likely broke out at the Saratov oil refinery (t.me/astrapress)
Drones attacked Russia's Saratov oil refinery pic.twitter.com/Oa6SzB2zAR
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) September 8, 2026
This is not the first attack on this facility.
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted the Saratov oil refinery. In August, the plant halted operations for the second time due to a drone attack—at that time, oil refining in Russia fell to its lowest level in more than two decades.
And back in July, drones halted the plant’s operations following a successful attack on July 8—that same night, the Defense Forces struck another oil refinery, six tankers, the Borisoglebsk airfield, and enemy road bridges.
Even earlier, on the night of May 31, Ukrainian Armed Forces units also struck this refinery—the facility was engulfed in a massive fire at the time.
