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Ukraine Shuts Down Key Russian Oil Refinery In Deep Drone Strike, Hitting War Fuel Supply
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Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign disrupted operations at Russia’s Saratov oil refinery following a strike overnight on March 21, damaging key production infrastructure and triggering a fire at the facility.
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According to the Russian outlet Astra on March 24, citing sources in Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, the attack caused damage to a secondary oil refining unit and a vertical storage tank (RVS-10000).
The same sources reported that a diesel fuel reservoir with a capacity of 10,000 tons caught fire, with the blaze covering at least 400 square meters. As a result of the damage, the refinery suspended operations.
Debris from the drones also fell on the nearby Saratov CHPP-2 power plant, damaging electrical infrastructure. The strike was also confirmed by Ukraine’s General Staff, which reported hits on critical refinery components, including processing units essential for maintaining the production cycle.
The Saratov refinery is part of Russia’s state-controlled company Rosneft and is considered a strategic fuel and energy asset.
As of 2023, the facility processed approximately 4.8 million tons of crude oil annually and produces a wide range of petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel fuel, mazut, and industrial chemical derivatives such as vacuum gas oil and sulfur. These outputs are used across both civilian industries and military logistics.
According to available data, damage to key refining units—particularly core processing installations—can halt the entire production cycle, making such strikes operationally significant. The facility is also linked to fuel supply chains supporting Russian military operations, including aviation fuel deliveries to nearby airbases.
According to Astra, the Saratov refinery has been targeted at least 13 times since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Defense Forces damaged a Russian A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft during a strike on the 123rd Aircraft Repair Plant in Staraya Russa, Novgorod region, according to the General Staff.
The aircraft, reportedly undergoing maintenance or modernization, is a key component of Russia’s air operations, used to detect aerial targets and coordinate air defense and fighter activity.
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