Ukraine Hits Russia’s Strategic Bomber Base and Major Oil Refinery in Overnight Strike

According to the Ukraine’s General Staff on August 2, confirmed hits were recorded at the Saratov refinery and the Engels air base in Russia’s Saratov region, both followed by fires.

Ukrainian forces also struck the Lyudinovskaya oil depot in Russia’s Kaluga region, a site used to store and supply fuel for the Russian military, as well as a facility used to store, prepare, and launch strike drones near Navlya in Russia’s Bryansk region.

Ukrainian forces also struck the Lyudinovskaya oil depot in Russia’s Kaluga region, a site used to store and supply fuel for the Russian military, as well as a facility used to store, prepare, and launch strike drones near Navlya in Russia’s Bryansk region.

The General Staff said the Saratov Oil Refinery is one of the largest refining facilities in Russia’s Volga region, with an annual processing capacity of about 7 million metric tons. The refinery is involved in supplying fuel for Russia’s military-industrial complex and armed forces. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.

Ukraine also confirmed a successful strike on Engels air base, one of Russia’s principal strategic aviation hubs. The base hosts Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers that Russia regularly uses to launch long-range cruise missile attacks against Ukraine.

In addition to the overnight operation, the General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces struck Russian drone command posts on August 1 near Olkhozhemchugovo in Russia’s Kursk region, Berestok in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Sichneve in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, and Yablukove in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.

Analysis published by Dnipro OSINT indicated the strike may have hit the refinery’s ELOU-AVT-6 crude oil processing unit, which has a reported processing capacity of about 6 million metric tons per year.

The installation performs the initial desalting and atmospheric-vacuum distillation of crude oil, making it a key component in the refinery’s production chain. Ukraine has not officially confirmed which specific facilities were damaged.

The Engels air base has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian long-range strikes since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Following Operation Spiderweb in June 2025, Russia dispersed much of its strategic aviation fleet to more distant airfields, although Engels continues to serve as a key location for servicing and arming Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bombers before missile strikes against Ukraine. On July 16, Ukrainian forces reported destroying a Tu-95MS bomber at the base during another long-range attack.

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