Drones attacked a refinery in the Saratov region of Russia: what are the consequences?
13 December 11:20
On the night of December 13, Ukrainian troops attacked the Saratov region of Russia with drones, targeting a Rosneft oil refinery, [Komersant ] reports, citing Russian propaganda media.
During the raid, one of the drones hit a residential high-rise building, killing people, Saratov Governor Roman Busargin said.
“Several apartments in the residential building were damaged as a result of the UAV attack. All emergency services involved in the aftermath are working at the scene. Two people were killed,” he wrote.
The Ukrainian channel Supernova, which published footage of the fire in the high-rise building, claims that a Russian air defense missile hit the building.
According to the head of the region, “civilian infrastructure facilities” were also damaged in Saratov, and windows in a kindergarten and a clinic were damaged. Local residents reported more than 20 explosions in Saratov and neighboring Engels, where an oil depot is located. According to eyewitnesses, the Saratov oil refinery came under attack, and fire brigades were working at the scene, Exilenova writes. The published footage shows the flames that broke out, presumably at the enterprise. The Saratov refinery has come under attack by the Ukrainian armed forces six times in the fall alone, and the current attack was the ninth since the beginning of the year.
in 2024, the refinery processed 5.8 million tons of oil, about 2.2% of the total Russian volume. The company produces diesel fuel, gasoline, and fuel oil and supplies it, among other things, to the Russian military.
The Russian Defense Ministry reports that air defense and electronic warfare forces managed to intercept 41 Ukrainian army drones overnight over Russian regions and Crimea. 28 of them were neutralized in Saratov region, the ministry said. Rosaviatsia reported the introduction of the “Carpet” plan at Saratov airport at 23:53 local time, the restrictions lasted five hours.
The last time Ukrainian UAVs attacked the Saratov refinery was a month ago, on November 14. At that time, Busargin also reported “damage to civilian infrastructure” without mentioning the refinery.
