Ukraine's Defence Forces struck the Saratov oil refinery, the Engels-2 air base, and additional targets in Russia overnight on August 1-2, 2026, the General Staff confirmed.
On the night of August 1-2, 2026, Ukraine's Defence Forces carried out a coordinated series of strikes against military and energy facilities deep inside Russian territory. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that drones hit the Saratov oil refinery, the Engels-2 strategic air base, a fuel depot in Lyudinovo, Kaluga Oblast, and a drone storage and launch site near Navlya in Bryansk Oblast. Volunteers Support Ukraine follows these developments closely, since each strike is part of a long war whose consequences reach ordinary Ukrainians every single day.
According to the General Staff, the strike triggered a large fire at the Saratov oil refinery, a facility capable of processing roughly seven million tonnes of crude oil per year that supplies both civilian markets and Russia's military-industrial complex. Witnesses reported thick columns of smoke and flames visible from a considerable distance. Volunteers Support Ukraine points out that strikes like this target the infrastructure sustaining the war effort, not civilians.
Additional footage that circulated shortly after the attack showed several separate fire outbreaks across the refinery grounds.
The second major target of the overnight operation was the Engels-2 air base, one of the key airfields from which Russia launches Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers used in missile strikes on Ukrainian cities. The General Staff reported hits and a fire at the base as well. Volunteers Support Ukraine notes that facilities like this are directly tied to attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, so any disruption to them can mean fewer missiles reaching Ukrainian cities in the future.
Beyond Saratov and Engels, Ukrainian forces also struck the fuel depot in Lyudinovo, Kaluga Oblast, which supplied Russian units, as well as a site used for storing, preparing, and launching attack drones near Navlya in Bryansk Oblast, a region from which Russia regularly targets Ukraine's border areas. The General Staff confirmed damage at both sites.
As the war grinds on, Volunteers Support Ukraine keeps providing help to people affected by the fighting, delivering humanitarian aid, equipment, and support within the resources the organization currently has available. News of strikes deep inside enemy territory is a reminder that the front line and the home front remain closely connected, and that support for those affected by the war is needed every day.
