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Russia’s Energy Backbone Shaken as Ukrainian Drones Target Saratov Refinery and Key Power Node
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
A series of overnight drone strikes hit multiple energy facilities in Russia’s Volgograd and Saratov regions, igniting a major fire at the Balashovskaya electrical substation and damaging the Saratov oil refinery—one of Russia’s oldest fuel-processing plants, according to the Ukrainian General Staff and Russian Volgograd region governor, Andrey Bocharov, on October 16.
The attacks left several nearby towns without power and prompted widespread air-raid alerts and explosions across the region.
Bocharov confirmed the strike on the Balashovskaya substation, claiming that the blaze began after “drone debris” allegedly fell on the facility following air defense activity.
“As a result of the fall of UAV debris in the Novonikolaevsky district on the territory of the Balashovskaya power substation, a fire was recorded and is being promptly extinguished by firefighters,” Bocharov wrote on Telegram.
He said repair crews were working to restore electricity to affected settlements. Eyewitnesses shared videos online appearing to capture the moment of impact and the fire that followed.
At the same time, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Saratov Oil Refinery, a facility with an annual processing capacity of 4.8 million tons of crude as of 2023.
The plant is one of the oldest refineries in Russia and plays a key role in supplying the country’s armed forces. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the operation was part of an ongoing campaign to degrade critical components of Russia’s military-industrial base and “deny it the capacity to continue its aggression.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed its air defenses had intercepted 11 drones over the Volgograd region, though evidence of multiple impacts and fires emerged online.
The Balashovskaya substation, with a capacity of 1,523 MVA, serves as a key transit hub transmitting electricity from the Volga Hydroelectric Station to Russia’s central regions. It also supplies power to parts of the Volgograd, Voronezh, and Saratov regions.
Earlier, drone strikes targeted the Lukoil oil refinery in the Russian city of Volgograd. The refinery, operated by Russia’s energy giant Lukoil, caught fire after being hit by several drones.
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