Ukrainian Assault Drones Hit Russia’s Largest Lukoil Refinery Again, Shut Down Airports

[UPDATES] As of 2 p.m., Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) reported on Telegram that, alongside the Security Service of Ukraine, they launched drone strikes on two Russian energy sites—the Volgograd oil refinery, owned by Lukoil, and the Astrakhan gas processing plant.

At the Volgograd refinery, which processes nearly 6% of Russia’s oil, multiple facilities were hit, including a flare farm, primary processing plants, and technological units. Fires continue to burn. After dozens of explosions, Volgograd authorities declared a “red” danger level and shut down the local airport.

In Astrakhan, Ukrainian drones damaged a gas condensate processing complex at a key energy facility handling 12 billion cubic meters of gas annually. 

Ukrainian drones targeted Russia’s Volgograd region early on Monday, Feb. 3, with one of the drones striking the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka oil refinery, according to regional governor Andrey Bocharov. The attack sparked a fire at the facility after drone debris fell on the site.

The refinery suffered “local fires,” but they were quickly contained. No casualties were reported.

This was the second attack on the plant in recent days, following a drone strike on Jan.31, which also caused a fire. Lukoil facilities have become frequent targets of Ukrainian drone and cyberattacks.

On Jan. 15, a fire broke out at the plant, forcing the shutdown of its diesel hydrotreating unit. The cause of the fire remains unclear, though local reports suggest “something fell” onto the facility before an explosion occurred. Russian emergency services deny any “external impact,” and the Russian Ministry of Defense reported no drone attacks in the region.

The refinery, among Russia’s top 10 by production, processed 13.7 million tons of oil in 2023. The shutdown has cut its diesel production by half – roughly 10,000 tons per day.

Located in Russia’s Southern Federal District, the Volgograd refinery accounts for nearly 7% of the country’s diesel production. It also produces significant volumes of gasoline and fuel oil. However, the plant has faced disruptions before, with Ukrainian drone strikes causing shutdowns in February and May last year.

Russia’s oil industry is under strain, with overall refining volumes in 2024 dropping to their lowest levels since 2012 – down 3.2% compared to the previous year.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defense forces intercepted 70 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions: 27 in Rostov, 25 in Volgograd, seven in Astrakhan, five in Voronezh, four in Belgorod, and two in Kursk. In Astrakhan, drones reportedly targeted fuel and energy facilities, including a gas processing plant.

As a precaution, six Russian airports—including those in Volgograd, Astrakhan, and Kazan—temporarily halted flights but resumed operations by morning. Later, three more airports in Vladikavkaz, Grozny, and Makhachkala were also briefly closed.