Drone Attacks Cause Fires at Refinery and Hospital in Russia

Debris from Ukrainian drones, shot down by Russian air defenses, caused fires at an oil refinery and a hospital in the Volgograd region of southwestern Russia. Local authorities announced the incident via Telegram.

Regional Governor Andrey Bocharov stated that firefighters are working to extinguish the fires and that, according to preliminary information, there were no injuries.

The Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia reported that flights to and from the region were suspended for approximately three hours for security reasons.

The extent of the attack has not been clarified, but Bocharov spoke of a "massive" drone raid. Reuters news agency notes that it was unable to verify the information immediately. There has been no comment from Kyiv.

The Ukrainian side describes the raids as retaliation for Russian attacks and aims to destroy infrastructure essential for the Russian armed forces, including energy infrastructure.

The refinery in Volgograd belongs to the Russian oil giant Lukoil and had already suspended operations due to Ukrainian drone attacks. Crude oil refining operations have been suspended until at least mid-September.

In 2024, the facility processed 13.7 million metric tons of crude oil, accounting for 5.1% of the total amount of oil refined in the country.

Source: AΠΕ-ΜΠΕ-Reuters