Ukrainian drones attacked Saratov overnight on September 8, Saratov region Governor Roman Busargin said. According to him, “civilian infrastructure” and several houses were damaged in the attack.
According to an analysis of eyewitness footage conducted by Astra, the target of the Ukrainian drones was the Saratov oil refinery. The facility was founded in 1934 and is one of the oldest in the industry. In 2013, the refinery came under the control of state-owned Rosneft. In 2024, it processed 5.8 million tonnes of crude oil, accounting for 2.2% of Russia’s total oil refining. It produced 1.2 million tonnes of petrol, 1.9 million tonnes of diesel fuel and 1 million tonnes of fuel oil.
Since the beginning of 2026, Ukrainian drones had attacked the facility four times before the latest strike: on March 21, May 31, July 8 and August 2. The attacks resulted in the refinery suspending crude oil processing.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have intensified strikes on Russia’s oil infrastructure. Since the beginning of 2026, Ukrainian drones have attacked Russian oil refineries more than 70 times, putting several dozen facilities out of operation. In August alone, six major plants underwent repairs: Nizhny Novgorod Oil Refinery (NORSI), Perm Oil Refinery (PermNOS), Lukoil’s Volgograd refinery, Orsk Oil Refinery (OrskNOS) operated by ForteInvest, Sibur’s ZapSibNeftekhim, and Rosneft’s Saratov refinery.
As a result, oil refining in Russia fell to its lowest level since 2002, leading to a fuel crisis.
