AFU strike Saratov Refinery in Saratov Oblast of russia at night – General Staff
On the night of September 16, units of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in cooperation with other components of the Defense Forces, struck the Saratov Oil Refinery in the Saratov Oblast of the russian federation.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has stated this on Telegram, the Ukrainian News agency reports.
It was established that after the attack by the Defense Forces of Ukraine, explosions and a fire were recorded in the area of the Saratov Oil Refinery.
At the same time, the results of the attack are being clarified.
It is noted that the Saratov Refinery specializes in the production of gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, as well as various brands of bitumen, vacuum gas oil, technical sulfur, etc. In total, more than 20 types of petroleum products, the volume of processing in 2023 amounted to 4.8 million tons. The enterprise is involved in meeting the needs of the russian armed forces.
"The Ukrainian Defense Forces are consistently taking measures aimed at undermining the military-economic potential of the Russian Federation, in particular its ability to provide the occupation forces with fuel, ammunition and weapons, as well as to stop armed aggression against Ukraine," the General Staff emphasized.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, in August, the Saratov Oil Refinery in russia, owned by Rosneft PJSC, suspended oil reception after a drone attack.
Meanwhile, on the night of September 14, drones attacked the Kirishi Oil Refinery in the Leningrad Oblast of russia. This is one of the largest oil refineries in russia.
Prior to this, drones of the Security Service of Ukraine struck the largest russian oil loading port on the Baltic Sea, which is the final point of the Baltic pipeline system. Primorsk is a key hub for loading the "shadow fleet" that russia uses to circumvent international sanctions and sell oil on foreign markets. About 60 million tons of oil passes through the port each year, bringing russia about USD 15 billion.