Drones Hit One Of Russia's Oldest Refineries

• 31.05.2026, 9:12

The plant is of great strategic importance.

On the night of May 31, an oil refinery was attacked in the Russian city of Saratov. After the drone strikes, a fire broke out at the plant.

This was reported by Charter97.org, citing OSINT channels.

What is known about the strike

At around 3:15 a.m., explosions erupted in Saratov, after which a fire broke out at the refinery. According to OSINT analysts, the blast is believed to have hit an isomerization unit.

What is this facility

The Saratov Refinery is one of the oldest oil refineries in Russia. Its capacity is about 5.8 million tons of oil per year - about 2.2% of the all-Russian volume. The main products are diesel fuel, gasoline, fuel oil and jet fuel.

The refinery is of strategic importance: its geographical location allows it to supply fuel to the southern and central regions of the Russian Federation, as well as directly meet the needs of the Russian army - armored vehicles and logistics transport. The enterprise is also connected with the supply of air bases, in particular, the strategic air base in Engels.

The key unit of the plant is the primary oil refining unit ELOU-AVT-6. Its damage actually stops the production cycle of the entire enterprise.

The Saratov refinery has long been under the spotlight. In March, the refinery burned for several days in a row after another drone strike, and in February explosions and fires were recorded simultaneously in Engels and Saratov.