Ukrainian Forces Strike Saratov Oil Refinery Supplying Russian Military
Ukrainian forces struck the Saratov oil refinery in Russia on the night of 10-11 September, causing fires at a facility that supplies fuel to the Russian military. [1]
Ukrainian Strike on Saratov Refinery
Units from the Ukrainian defence forces struck the Saratov oil refinery on the night of 10-11 September. [1] Fires were recorded at the facility. [1] The extent of the damage is being assessed. [1] The Unmanned Systems Forces specified that the strike was carried out jointly with the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU). [1] The target was about 600 km away. [1] The Saratov oil refinery has a processing capacity of around 7 million tonnes of crude oil per year and produces petrol, diesel fuel and other petroleum products. [1] The facility is involved in supplying the Russian Armed Forces with fuel and lubricants. [1] The strike was carried out jointly by the Unmanned Systems Forces, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU). [1] Ukrainian forces struck the Saratov oil refinery in Russia on the night of 10-11 September, causing fires at a facility that supplies fuel to the Russian military. [1] The target was approximately 600 km from Ukrainian positions. [1] The Saratov refinery processes around 7 million tonnes of crude oil per year and produces petrol, diesel and other petroleum products for the Russian Armed Forces. [1]
Impact on Russian Fuel Supply
Russia has had to expand the number of countries it imports fuel from as Ukrainian strikes continue to hammer at the foundations of Moscow's economy, according to a new report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) think tank published Sept. 11. [5] Media reports in August indicated that Russia was importing gasoline from India for the first time, but the latest report by CREA mentions that Moscow has also had to rely on South Korea and Turkey for imports. [5] Oil imports surged to 172,000 metric tons in August, "more than seven times the previous monthly high," reads the report. [5] "Russia was forced to import fuel from South Korea and buy back gasoline refined from its own crude in India," the report notes. [5] Turkey "appears to have started shipping gasoline to Russia, with the first cargoes arriving in September 2026." [5] The report mentions that Ukrainian strikes on Russia's energy industry have "turned the tables on the world's once largest oil product exporter." [5] In recent weeks, Ukraine has launched successful attacks against Russian energy infrastructure on a near-daily basis. [5] "Russia's need to buy gasoline from a refinery it partly owns in India and ship it halfway around the world using the same fleet that carries its exports has demonstrated the impact of Ukrainian drone strikes on its domestic refining capacity," reads the CREA report. [5] According to CREA, Ukrainian strikes on the port at Novorossiysk in southwestern Russia interrupted exports for nine consecutive days, "the longest disruption since Russia's full-scale invasion began." [5] The oil-export Black Sea port at Tuapse, Russia's fourth-largest before 2022, "did not load a single cargo of oil products for the third consecutive month" after being struck by drones in May. [5] Ukrainian drone strikes have forced Russia to import fuel from South Korea, Turkey and India, with oil imports surging more than seven times the previous monthly high in August. [5]
Ukrainian forces struck the Saratov oil refinery in Russia causing fires at the military fuel facility. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Russian Drone Attacks in Ukraine
A Russian drone attacked an ambulance in Kherson, injuring three emergency medical workers. [2] Three emergency medical workers who were attacked by the enemy with a drone while responding to a call in the Korabelnyi district at around 11:45 required medical attention. [2] The injured men, aged 63, 61 and 49, were in the vehicle at the time of the attack. [2] They sustained concussion and blast injuries. [2] Russian drones attacked an ambulance in Kherson, injuring three medical workers with concussion and blast injuries. [2] Russian drones targeted Kyiv, including gas stations, on 11 September while Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski was arriving in the city. [3] Russian drones targeted roadside gas stations in Kyiv for a second straight day Friday, as Moscow broadened its air war in what Ukrainian officials say is an effort to rattle civilians. [4] Russian strikes on urban gas stations have intensified in recent months, mostly in... [4]
Polish Minister's Visit During Kyiv Attack
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski arrived at Kyiv's main train station on the morning of Sept. 11 as the city was being attacked by Russian drones. [3] "Good morning from Kyiv," Sikorski posted on X. [3] Fifteen minutes later, Kyiv Independent reporters noted explosions in central Kyiv, and the air raid sirens began to sound. [3] The exact agenda of Sikorski's trip is not known, but it follows multiplying issues between Poland and Ukraine. [3] Before the summer, the two countries entered a diplomatic spat over their shared history after President Volodymyr Zelensky named a regiment after the World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). [3] However, the temperature seems to have cooled on that issue, with lines of communication reopening between Zelensky and Polish President Karol Nawrocki. [3] The agenda for Sikorski's visit may include securing Polish support to export more Ukrainian agricultural products westward by road and rail due to the ongoing Black Sea blockade. [3] Two EU diplomats confirmed discussions are underway to help get more Ukrainian produce out of the country via the bloc's so-called solidarity lanes. [3] Ukraine also hopes to secure the formal opening of all six EU enlargement "clusters" by the end of the year. [3] Ukraine has only opened two of the six to-do lists of required reforms so far, which is key to Kyiv advancing its bid for EU membership. [3] That decision requires unanimity across all EU countries, and Poland remains concerned about specific sectors of its economy that risk being outcompeted by Ukraine, notably in agriculture and trucking. [3] Another potential topic for discussion could be the next package of EU sanctions, expected to be negotiated and adopted in the fall and set to be the largest ever. [3]
Russian Military Fuel Outlook
But even with some 40% of Russia's oil-refining infrastructure taken offline, Ukrainian military intelligence estimates that Russia can keep waging war through 2028. [5] Ukrainian military intelligence assessment that Russia can sustain its war effort through 2028 despite roughly 40 percent of its oil-refining infrastructure being taken offline. [5]
What to watch next: Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure continue on a near-daily basis while discussions advance on EU sanctions and solidarity lanes for Ukrainian agricultural exports.
