Ukraine strikes Lukoil's Volgograd refinery as drone attacks on Russian refining capacity resume

Ukraine's Security Service said in a Telegram post on Friday, 31 July 2026, that Ukrainian forces had struck Lukoil's Volgograd refinery, one of Russia's largest, and that the hit was "successful," without giving details of the extent of the damage. The refinery has the capacity to process 300,000 barrels per day of crude and produces gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

Andrei Bocharov, governor of Russia's Volgograd region, said the same day that a fire had broken out at an industrial facility in the region's fuel and energy complex following a mass drone attack. He did not name the site. This is not the first strike on the Volgograd refinery; earlier this year it had to suspend crude processing after a Ukrainian drone attack triggered a fire at the plant.

The renewed attacks come after several weeks of a lull, during which Ukrainian forces focused on hitting tankers in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, and some processing units resumed operations after repairs. Even so, Russia extended its ban on gasoline and diesel exports this week, a sign that the fuel shortage, which has run for nearly three months, has not been resolved. The squeeze on Russian refined products is one of the pressures on the global diesel market.