Ukrainian Drone Attack Kills 4 Workers, Sparks Fire at Volgograd Oil Refinery

Four people perished and two were injured when Ukrainian drones struck an industrial zone in Volgograd, southern Russia, according to Governor Andrei Bocharov. Bocharov highlighted that the incident involved attackers from the "criminal Kyiv regime." Initially, Bocharov claimed drone debris caused fires, but Astra, an exiled news outlet, later identified the targeted facility as the largest Lukoil oil refinery in southern Russia.

The Lukoil refinery, with an annual processing capacity of about 14.8 million metric tons of crude oil, had been attacked on October 2. Following the attack, motorists began queuing at gas stations in Volgograd, with gasoline prices surging by 50 kopeks per liter (2.3 U.S. cents per gallon) overnight. The average Russian gasoline price has surged around 16% since the beginning of the year, reaching 98 rubles per liter ($4.51 per gallon) as of November 2.

This marks the eighth Russian oil refinery attacked by Ukrainian forces since October 30, as per the Ukrainian General Staff. In a Telegram post, the General Staff stated that Kyiv's forces had targeted seven refineries, including five among Russia's largest. Russia's Defense Ministry reported intercepting 1,198 Ukrainian drones over Russian territories and Crimean annexation overnight.

In contrast, Ukrainian authorities reported another night of Russian attacks set a hospital ablaze, claiming at least three lives. These deadly attacks occurred a day after U.S.-led shuttle diplomacy in Moscow between representatives Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelensky. The Moscow Times, in a statement, condemned these actions as attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia, warning of prosecution for its work being designated as undesirable.