A large-scale fire broke out at the Lukoil oil refinery in Volgograd on January 15. The initial cause was technical malfunctions.
Points of attention
- The fire at the Volgograd oil refinery was caused by a technical malfunction, with no casualties or injuries.
- The strike by the Ukrainian defense forces was the largest and covered military facilities in various regions of the Russian Federation.
- Among the facilities hit were an oil depot in the Saratov region, a chemical plant in the Bryansk region, and others.
- The attacks led to fires breaking out at some facilities, causing significant material damage.
- The Ukrainian military involved various units to carry out the strike, including the Unmanned Systems Forces, Missile Forces, and others.
Large-scale fire at oil refinery in Volgograd. What is known
As noted by Russian media, at around 04:00 local time, unit No. 18 and two heat exchangers caught fire at the plant in the Krasnoarmiysky district of Volgograd.
Local residents reported an explosion that preceded the fire.
Russian authorities have confirmed the fire, but say it was caused by internal technical malfunctions at the plant. They have ruled out external influence.
The Volgograd oil refinery is an important facility in Russia's fuel infrastructure, and such incidents could affect its production capacity.
Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out the largest strike on Russian military facilities
The attacks were carried out on military facilities in the Bryansk, Saratov, Tula regions and the Republic of Tatarstan.
Objects that were hit:
Petroleum products storage facility "Kristal Plant" in Engels (Saratov Region):
The oil depot was attacked by units of the Unmanned Systems Forces and the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine.
The fire, which lasted 5 days after the previous strike, was restored again.
Bryansk Chemical Plant (city of Seltso):
A strategic facility that produces ammunition for artillery, MLRS, aviation, engineering charges, and components for the Kh-59 cruise missile.
A secondary detonation was recorded at the plant, lasting several hours.
Two anti-aircraft missile systems were destroyed - "Tor" and "Buk".
Saratov Oil Refinery:
A blow was struck, which started a large-scale fire.
"Kazanorgsintez" plant (Tatarstan):
The facility was also damaged in the attack, after which a fire broke out.
To accomplish the task, units of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Special Operations Forces, Missile Forces, Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, and Security Service of Ukraine were involved.