Ukraine hits Lukoil's Volgograd refinery

The Ukrainian military has struck Lukoil’s processing facility in Volgograd – one of Russia’s biggest refineries, as it continues to hit Moscow’s refining capacity.

IMAGE: Flags of Russia and Ukraine. Getty Images

The Volgograd refinery has a capacity to process 15 million mt/year (about 300,000 b/d) of crude oil, Ukraine’s Security Service said in a statement on social media platform Telegram.

Ukraine’s army successfully struck an aircraft factory in Yevpatoria, infrastructure of the Taman port and the Volgograd refinery, it said without stating the extent of the damage.

“As a result of the UAV [unidentified aerial vehicle] strike, fires were detected overnight at an industrial facility belonging to the fuel and energy complex in the south of Volgograd,” the governor of Russia’s Volgograd region Andrei Bocharov said.

The Volgograd refinery has come under attack several times before.

In 2025, fallen debris from Ukrainian drones started fire at the refinery. Earlier this year, the refinery suspended crude oil processing after another drone attack triggered a fire at a plant, Reuters reported.

The latest attacks mark a return of Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, following Kyiv’s recent shift toward targeting Russia-linked tankers in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

Earlier in July, Ukraine struck 20 Russia-linked vessels in the Black Sea – of which, 17 were Russian oil tankers, two gas carriers and one tugboat.

The Black Sea is one of the most vital conduits for Russian crude and fuel exports.

Off late, Kyiv has intensified its campaign to cripple Russian energy revenues, expanding its focus beyond refineries and export terminals to target Moscow's vital fuel supply routes and tanker fleet.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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