Ukrainian Drones Hit Major Lukoil Refinery in Perm as Russia Reports 325 UAVs Downed
Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s Perm Krai on the morning of Aug. 21, with eyewitness footage indicating that the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery was targeted and a large fire breaking out at the facility.
The regional Ministry of Territorial Security declared a drone alert that lasted for more than two hours. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, also restricted arrivals and departures at Perm’s Bolshoye Savino Airport.
Residents reported several explosions and a large plume of smoke over the city.
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According to the Russian independent outlet Astra, which analyzed eyewitness footage, the apparent target was the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez (PNOS) refinery.
The refinery is among Russia’s 10 largest oil-processing facilities and is Lukoil’s second-largest refinery after its facility in Nizhny Novgorod.
In 2024, PNOS processed 12.6 million metric tons of crude oil, including approximately 2 million tons of gasoline and 5.3 million tons of diesel fuel.
The refinery produces a range of petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel and lubricants. It is a major industrial facility in the region and supplies both Russia’s domestic market and foreign markets.
Refinery repeatedly targeted
The Perm refinery was targeted by drones less than a month ago, on July 29, when a fire also broke out at the facility. The AVT-5 crude oil refining unit was reportedly damaged in that attack.
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The plant was also targeted on May 7 and April 30, with drone attacks reportedly disrupting its operations and forcing it to halt fuel production on several occasions.
The latest strike came as Ukrainian forces continued to target Russia’s oil-refining infrastructure.
On Aug. 20, Ukrainian drones attacked the Taneco refinery in Tatarstan for the second time in two weeks. A week earlier, the Gazpromneftekhim Salavat refinery in Bashkortostan was also targeted.
Industry sources previously told Reuters that at least four Russian refineries had stopped processing crude oil since early August following drone attacks. The affected facilities included the Orsknefteorgsintez refinery in Orenburg Oblast, the Zapsibneftekhim refinery in Tyumen Oblast, and the Saratov and Volgograd refineries.
Russia reports 325 Ukrainian drones downed
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that its air defenses shot down 325 Ukrainian drones overnight.
According to the ministry, the drones were intercepted over the Astrakhan, Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan and Tula regions, as well as Moscow Oblast, the annexed Crimean Peninsula, Udmurtia, Krasnodar Krai and Perm Krai.
It also reported interceptions over the waters of the Azov and Black seas.
The Russian Defense Ministry’s figures could not be independently verified. Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the reported attack.