Saratov oil refinery catches fire after overnight drone attack, media say

A fire broke out at the Saratov Oil Refinery after drones attacked the Russian city overnight on 7 November, the independent Russian-language project ASTRA reported, according to Ukrinform. Analysts at ASTRA identified the burning site from eyewitness video. The Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova Plus also said the plant had been set ablaze.

The refinery is owned by Rosneft and is one of Russia’s oldest oil-processing plants. Ukrinform said it processed 4.8 million tons of crude in 2023. The facility has been hit before and was forced to halt operations more than once, including after strikes in September 2026.

What local officials said

Saratov region governor Roman Busargin wrote on Telegram that several residential buildings in the city were damaged in the drone attack. The Kyiv Independent reported that no casualties were stated in that update. Busargin said specialists from the local administration had been sent “to assess the damage.”

Residents told ASTRA that air-raid sirens sounded at least twice overnight and that explosions could be heard. One witness said more than 40 explosions were heard in Saratov and the neighbouring city of Engels.

Russia’s account

Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that its air defences “intercepted and destroyed” 411 Ukrainian drones overnight over ten Russian regions — including Saratov — as well as over occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas, Ukrinform reported, citing BBC Russian. Those figures are a Russian official claim and have not been independently verified.

Ukraine regularly strikes energy and military-linked targets inside Russia in an effort to limit Moscow’s capacity to continue the war. Kyiv did not immediately issue a detailed public confirmation specifically naming the Saratov refinery in the accounts reviewed here.