During deep-strike operation, key facilities at Saratov Oil Refinery and Engels Airfield were hit, - Defence Intelligence
At the Saratov Oil Refinery, the main oil refining units have been hit, whilst at Engels Airfield, the infrastructure and life-support systems have been targeted. Both facilities are used to support the Russian army.
According to Censor.NET, this information was reported by the Telegram channel of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence.
"According to preliminary data, the main oil refining units at the plant, which is fuelling the criminal war against Ukraine, have been hit. The Saratov Oil Refinery processes around 7 million tonnes of crude oil per year," the statement reads.
The facility produces aviation and diesel fuel, as well as lubricants, which are supplied to the Russian occupying forces.
Strikes on the airfield
At the "Engels" Russian strategic airbase in the Saratov region, which the aggressor state constantly uses to launch terrorist missile strikes against Ukraine, the infrastructure and life-support systems of the military airfield have been hit.
Previous attacks on targets
The Saratov Oil Refinery is one of the oil refining targets in Russia most frequently attacked by Ukrainian long-range drones:
- 14 January 2025 – one of the first confirmed attacks on the Saratov Oblast, during which fires were reported in the vicinity of Saratov and Engels.
- 21 September 2025 – Ukrainian forces struck the Saratov Oil Refinery.
- 8 November 2025 – a second attack on the facility.
- 11 November 2025 – another strike on the refinery a few days after the previous one.
- March 2026 – following the attack, the plant temporarily suspended operations.
- May 2026 – yet another strike once again brought production processes to a halt.
- 8 July 2026 – a large-scale attack by Ukrainian drones caused a fire. According to Reuters, the crude distillation unit (CDU-6/ELOU-AVT-6) was damaged, after which the refinery completely ceased oil processing. This was the third time the refinery had been shut down in 2026.
The "Engels-2" military airfield in the Saratov region is the main base for the Russian Federation’s strategic aviation, from which Tu-95MS, Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 bombers regularly take off to carry out missile strikes on Ukraine. As a result, it has repeatedly been the target of Ukrainian strikes:
- 5 December 2022 – the first known attack on the airfield. At least two Tu-95MS strategic bombers were damaged in the explosion. This was the first strike on such a remote Russian military facility.
- 26 December 2022 – a second drone attack. According to reports from the Russian Federation, three Russian servicemen were killed.
- 8 January 2025 – a strike on the ‘Kristall’ oil depot, which supplies fuel to the airbase. A massive fire broke out, which took several days to extinguish.
- 14 January 2025 – a second attack on the same fuel depot; the fire broke out again.
- 11 February 2025 – a drone attack on the Saratov region; explosions were heard near the airfield.
- 20 March 2025 – one of the most successful attacks. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported a joint operation with the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the Special Operations Forces (SOF). According to Ukrainian sources, 96 air-launched cruise missiles were destroyed, an aviation munitions depot was hit, and a powerful secondary detonation continued for many hours. Satellite images confirmed significant damage.
- 6 June 2025 – the ‘Kristall’ fuel complex was attacked again; several fuel tanks were ablaze.
- 28 November 2025 – Ukraine announced a new strike on the airbase; local residents reported explosions.
- 16 July 2026 – a large-scale drone attack on the ‘Engels-2’ airfield. A fire broke out on the site. According to Ukrainian sources, a Tu-95MS strategic bomber was hit.
- 2 August 2026 – A new strike was carried out by the Defence Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence in conjunction with the Defence Forces. The ‘Engels-2’ airfield and the Saratov Oil Refinery were attacked simultaneously; fires were reported at both sites.
