Ukrainian Drones Hit Major Lukoil Refinery in Perm as Russia Reports 325 UAVs Downed
Ukrainian drones targeted Lukoil’s major Perm refinery, sparking a reported fire, as Ukraine intensifies strikes on Russia’s oil industry. Moscow claimed its air defenses downed 325 Ukrainian drones overnight, though the figures could not be independently verified.
On August 21, Ukrainian drones targeted the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez (PNOS) oil refinery in Perm Krai, resulting in a large fire. Eyewitness footage showed the refinery was the apparent target, and a drone alert remained active for over two hours. Perm's Bolshoye Savino Airport also experienced restrictions on arrivals and departures. Residents reported multiple explosions and a significant plume of smoke over the city.
According to the Russian independent outlet Astra, the PNOS refinery is one of Russia's ten largest oil-processing facilities and Lukoil's second-largest after its Nizhny Novgorod facility. In 2024, the refinery processed 12.6 million metric tons of crude oil, generating approximately 2 million tons of gasoline and 5.3 million tons of diesel fuel.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Ukrainian drones struck the Perm refinery, emphasizing they were using long-range sanctions to retaliate. The Ukrainian General Staff reported a fire at the facility, which refines oil and produces over 60 types of products, with an oil refining depth of 98%. The enterprise supplies Russia's army.
Earlier Ukrainian strikes targeted a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber at Akhtubinsk airfield and a drone storage facility in Primorsko-Akhtarsk. Zelensky praised Ukrainian forces for their precision, crediting them as the reason for the strikes.
The PNOS refinery had faced drone attacks before, on July 29, May 7, and April 30, all of which led to damaged equipment and disruptions. In total, at least four Russian refineries have stopped processing crude oil due to drone attacks since early August, including the Orsknefteorgsintez, Zapsibneftekhim, Saratov, and Volgograd refineries.
Russia claimed its air defenses shot down 325 Ukrainian drones overnight, covering various regions including Astrakhan, Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Tula, as well as Moscow Oblast, the Crimean Peninsula, Udmurtia, Krasnodar Krai, and Perm Krai.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
