Massive blaze engulfs Russia's Volgograd refinery, thick smoke rises across city (photos, video)
Illustrative photo: Exact cause of smoke remains unknown (Russia media)
On Saturday afternoon, August 16, Russians reported another incident in Volgograd. Smoke rose near the local oil refinery, reports Russian Telegram channels.
"Residents of Volgograd report a column of thick black smoke near the oil refinery," wrote ASTRA.
The channel noted that the Federal Agency for Air Transport (Rosaviatsia) had previously announced temporary restrictions on the arrival and departure of aircraft at the local airport. An air raid alert was also declared in the city.
At the same time, local channels claimed that a "planned discharge of petroleum products is underway for the further repair of tanks."
However, reports remain contradictory. Some Telegram comments raised questions: "Do ambulances fly through planned discharge too?" and "Are firefighters rushing there on schedule, or were they forgotten to be warned?"
According to ASTRA, information is still being clarified.
Drone attack on Volgograd oil refinery
On the night of August 14, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck the largest oil refinery, Lukoil-Volgogradnaftoperobka LLC. The attack caused massive fires.
The facility processes over 15 million tons of oil annually, accounting for nearly 6% of all refining in Russia. It produces diesel, gasoline, and aviation fuel, which are critically important for supplying the Russian Army.
Bloomberg reported that after the Ukrainian drone strike, the Volgograd refinery stopped receiving oil.
