Russia burns as devastating drone strike tears through oil depot and wipes out production

A night-time drone strike hit an oil refinery in Russia’s Volgograd, causing both an oil spill and a fire, regional Governor Andrey Bocharov said on August 14. The latest attacks come on the day US President Donald Trump is set to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Buchorov said: “Overnight, Russian Defence Ministry air defences repelled a large-scale UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) assault on Volgograd Oblast. Debris from downed drones caused oil products to leak and ignite at the Volgograd Oil Refinery. Fire crews promptly began extinguishing the blaze.” Bocharov said initial reports suggest there were no casualties.

The Kyiv Independent was unable to independently confirm these claims at the time of publication.

The Volgograd refinery, run by Russian oil giant Lukoil, has been struck repeatedly during the full-scale war.

Russian outlets and officials reported attacks there in February and March 2025.

Ukraine’s General Staff acknowledged a strike on the plant in January.

Ukraine frequently carries out long-range drone strikes on Russian industrial and military infrastructure.

Refineries, which power Moscow’s war effort, are often singled out in these attacks.

Three Russian refineries have reduced or halted production this month due to Ukrainian drone damage, according to media accounts. Bloomberg said a Rosneft site in Saratov Oblast stopped oil intake after an August 10 strike.

Russia’s Ryazan plant cut production by half, while the Novokuibyshevsk refinery completely stopped operations on August 2.