Drones attack Russia's Volgograd, fire erupts near Lukoil refinery and chemical plant
Photo: Firefighters from Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations (Getty Images)
On the night of October 2, drones attacked Volgograd. A glow from a fire was visible in the area of the local Lukoil oil refinery and the Kaustik chemical plant, according to OSINT analysis of the Russian ASTRA and statements by Volgograd region governor Andrey Bocharov.
Residents of Volgograd reported drones flying overhead and numerous explosions overnight, which they said could be heard in all parts of the city. People were outraged that no air raid alert had been declared.
ASTRA analyzed footage from eyewitnesses and concluded that the glow was visible in the direction of the Volgograd oil refinery and the Kaustik plant, which are located nearby. It is impossible to determine exactly what caught fire based on the available videos.
Bocharov said there had been a massive drone attack on industrial infrastructure in the region, but did not mention fires at the enterprises. According to him, a residential building caught fire, and one person was hospitalized.
Drones attacked Russia's Volgograd overnight pic.twitter.com/T9sT9HcCke
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) October 2, 2026
Kaustik is located in the south of Volgograd, in the Krasnoarmeysky district. It is one of the region's leading chemical enterprises, producing dual-use products that are critically important to Russia's defense industry.
The Volgograd oil refinery is owned by Lukoil and is one of Russia's largest oil refineries. Its capacity is about 15 million tons of oil per year, or approximately 5% of all refining in Russia. The refinery produces gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation kerosene, fuel oil, and bitumen.
The Volgograd oil refinery has come under attack multiple times. On the night of July 31, a drone attack caused a large-scale fire at the facility. At the time, key production facilities were damaged, and the main primary oil refining units, AVT-1 and AVT-6, were shut down.
Before that, the refinery was attacked in February and in late May 2026. According to ASTRA's estimates, the May attack was at least the tenth since the beginning of the full-scale war.
