Overnight on November 8, drones struck strategic sites in Russia’s Saratov region. The Saratov Oil Refinery was hit again, Russian Telegram channels reported.
According to those channels, an air-raid alert was declared in the Saratov region at about 02:21. Saratov residents saw and heard several explosions in the suburbs. Videos posted on messaging apps show residents appearing shocked by the blasts; one clip captures several powerful explosions. It was claimed that drones targeted the local oil refinery.
Saratov region Governor Roman Busargin confirmed a drone attack on the region’s strategic facilities. He said all necessary emergency services were working at the scene.
The AFU have previously conducted several strikes on the Saratov Oil Refinery, one of the largest suppliers of fuel to central Russia and the Russian military. The plant belongs to Rosneft, which was recently placed under U.S. economic sanctions. Its annual processing capacity is 5.8 million tons of crude.
For example, drones hit the Saratov refinery on August 11 this year, sparking a fire and forcing the plant to stop receiving crude. Drones “visited” the strategic site again on September 20 and November 3, with fires reported after each incident. The consequences of the latest strike are not yet known.
Also overnight on November 8, the UAF carried out an airstrike on the Balashovskaya power substation in Russia’s Volgograd region, described as a response to Russian forces’ shelling of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
