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An oil refinery, a chemical plant, and port facilities caught fire overnight during a large-scale drone attack on several Russian regions, according to local authorities and Russian media reports.
Volgograd region governor Andrey Bocharov said that fires broke out at a chemical enterprise in the city of Volzhsky and at fuel and energy infrastructure facilities in southern Volgograd following what he described as the “falling debris” of drones.
Several fires were also reported in Volgograd itself, where a residential apartment building was damaged. Russian authorities stated that there were casualties and at least one fatality following the overnight attack.
According to Astra, one of the targets was the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery — the largest oil refinery in the Volgograd region. The facility processes more than 15 million tons of oil annually and produces gasoline, diesel fuel, aviation fuel, bitumen, and other petroleum products. The refinery has previously been targeted multiple times, and after a strike in February it reportedly suspended operations completely.
Drone strikes were also reported in Yaroslavl. Regional governor Mikhail Evraev claimed that drones hit “industrial fuel storage facilities,” triggering a fire. Authorities later imposed traffic restrictions on the highway leading from Yaroslavl toward Moscow.
Meanwhile, in Russia’s Krasnodar region, officials reported a fire at the seaport in Temryuk, allegedly caused by falling drone debris. Emergency crews were still working to extinguish the blaze.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that air defense systems shot down 208 Ukrainian drones overnight over various Russian regions, occupied Crimea, and the Sea of Azov.