Defense forces struck the Saratov Oil Refinery: what are the consequences?
21 March 19:06
On the night of March 21, Ukrainian defense forces attacked facilities at the Saratov Oil Refinery in Russia’s Saratov Region.
This was reported by [Komersant], citing a Telegram post from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
It is noted that this facility processes crude oil and produces fuel and lubricants used to support the occupying army.
The Saratov Oil Refinery is one of Russia’s oldest oil refining enterprises. As of 2023, its refining capacity stood at 4.8 million tons.
According to preliminary information, the secondary oil refining unit and the RVS-10000 vertical tank were damaged.
The extent of the damage is being assessed.
Strikes on Russian oil refineries
As a reminder, last week the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck the Afipsky oil refinery and infrastructure at the Kavkaz port in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai.
On the night of March 8, drones attacked an oil pumping station in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai. A major fire broke out at the facility.
And on the night of March 2, the Security Service of Ukraine, together with other components of the Defense Forces, struck military ships, air defense systems, and Russian oil infrastructure in the port of Novorossiysk.
The damaged terminal in the Russian port is one of the largest oil transshipment complexes for oil and petroleum products in southern Russia. It supplies fuel to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
The night of February 28 in the Krasnodar Krai also proved to be a “hot” one for the Russian oil industry. In the village of Novominskaya, a fire broke out at the Albashneft mini-refinery after debris from a drone fell.
On the night of February 19, drones from the SBU’s “Alpha” Special Operations Center successfully struck the “Velikolukskaya” oil depot in the Pskov region, nearly 500 km from Ukraine’s state border.
