Russia Strikes Oil Refinery in Kharkiv Region, Causing 'Significant' Damage
In a nighttime assault on April 8, 2026, Russian military forces targeted an oil refinery in the city of Merefa, Kharkiv region, resulting in 'significant' damage, according to the legal director of the refinery, Anastasia Cherednikova.
In the early hours of April 8, 2026, Russian military forces launched an attack on an oil refinery located in the city of Merefa, situated in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. This assault has been described as causing 'significant' damage to the facility. The information was reported by the Ukrainian state broadcaster Suspilne, citing the words of the refinery's legal director, Anastasia Cherednikova.
Local authorities have indicated that Russian forces conducted attacks on 17 populated areas within the Kharkiv region, which borders Russia to the north and northeast. During the course of the attack, over 60 drones of various types were deployed, along with five guided aerial bombs within a single day.
One of the strikes specifically targeted the city of Merefa, home to the oil refinery. Oleg Synegubov, the head of the Kharkiv regional administration, reported that the attack also resulted in damage to four residential buildings and three vehicles in the vicinity.
Anastasia Cherednikova noted that there were no casualties reported as a result of the attack on the facility in Merefa. However, the oil refinery, which has been struck five times since the onset of the full-scale invasion, sustained 'significant' damage.
“The enterprise will continue its operations, as we have a very large team. We will resume work, but we cannot say how long it will take,” Cherednikova stated in an interview with Suspilne.
During a previous attack on the oil refinery in March 2025, Russia had utilized approximately 20 long-range drones, which forced the facility to temporarily halt its operations due to the damage inflicted.
The Kharkiv region, located near the Russian border, has regularly been a target for Russian assaults. Several populated areas in the northeastern part of the region remain under Russian occupation, while Ukrainian forces continue their offensive towards the city of Kupiansk, which has been experiencing continuous fighting since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.