Ukraine strikes Russian oil refinery as Moscow claims attacks in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk

Ukraine strikes Russian oil refinery as Moscow claims attacks in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk
Russian Defence Ministry aerial footage appears to show strikes in Rodynske, Ukraine, 3 Nov 2025
Reuters

Ukraine’s military said on Monday it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region overnight, causing a fire at one of the refining units, and separately targeted Russian logistical sites in the occupied Luhansk region.

According to local press, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the refinery strike, saying it hit the ELOU AVT-6 processing complex and caused a large fire. The refinery, one of the oldest in Russia, processes around 4.8 million tonnes of crude oil each year and supports the Russian military, reports said.

Video footage analysed by ASTRA OSINT and cited by United24 appeared to show explosions and flames near the refinery’s western storage tanks. Residents in Saratov said they heard several loud blasts, according to local sources.

Ukraine said its forces also struck Russian military logistics in occupied Luhansk, targeting a warehouse in Rozkishne and fuel storage rail cars in Dovzhansk. 

The latest attacks come a day after a Ukrainian drone strike set fire to Russia’s Tuapse oil terminal on the Black Sea, damaging a tanker and port infrastructure.

Moscow says it hit Ukrainian industrial sites

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had carried out a “large-scale overnight strike” on what it described as Ukrainian military-industrial sites, gas facilities, a military airfield and an equipment repair base.

State agencies RIA and Interfax reported that Russian troops had ejected Ukrainian forces from four fortified positions in the Kupiansk area and entered the Prigorodny district of Pokrovsk, where they had “dug in” and were “continuing to destroy surrounded Ukrainian formations near the station and industrial zone.”

Ukraine has stepped up long-range strikes on Russian refineries and depots in recent months, while Russia continues missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid and defence infrastructure.

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