Russia Forced to Shutter Four Major Refineries After Drone Attacks

Four major Russian oil refineries have been forced to suspend operations after Ukrainian drone attacks throughout the past month, according to various outlets.

Newsweek has contacted the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian energy facilities in an effort to stop Russia’s ability to continue funding the war.

Following drone strikes in 2024, Russia’s average daily production of crude oil hit a 20-year low. The economic consequences of this are vast, as Russia’s decrease in oil production not only starves its ability to fund its war effort but also decreases the amount of revenue generated from one of Moscow’s key exports, which yields high profits.

What To Know

Russia’s Syzran oil refinery, which is operated by Rosneft, one of the country’s largest oil production companies, suspended its operations on February 19 after an attack by a Ukrainian drone that resulted in a fire, Reuters reported.

One of two unidentified industry sources told the outlet, “Refining has been temporarily suspended at CDU-6 due to a fire.” The refinery, located in the city of Samara, was the subject of several Ukrainian attacks throughout 2024 and lies about 700 kilometers (430 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram that the oil refinery has “a processing capacity of 8.9 million tons of oil per year, making it one of the medium-sized refineries in the Russian Federation,” and produces “fuel, aviation kerosene and bitumen.”

In late January, Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery also halted operations after being the subject of Ukrainian drone attacks. Two anonymous industry officials told Reuters at the time that the oil storage had caught fire, resulting in equipment damage.

One of the industry sources told the outlet: “The railway loading equipment has been damaged. There have been no railways loadings, they stopped oil processing.” Another person said the oil refinery stopped operations because it was unable to dispatch oil.

The Ryazan oil refinery processed 5 percent of Russia’s total refining throughput in 2024, and it produced 2.2 million tons of gasoline, 3.4 million tons of diesel, 4.3 million tons of fuel oil and 1 million tons of jet fuel, Reuters reported.

An oil refinery in Volgograd, in southwest Russia, operated by the Russian oil company Lukoil had to suspend its operations after a Ukrainian drone strike on February 3. According to Bloomberg, it partially resumed oil production recently.

A gas processing plant in Astrakhan operated by the Russian energy company Gazprom also shuttered its doors after a Ukrainian drone strike, regional Governor Igor Babushkin wrote on Telegram.

On February 3, Babushkin wrote, “Having received early warnings about the danger of the UAVs, the enterprise stopped its work, which made it possible to prevent emissions and avoid damage to chemical hazard facilities.”

The attack on the gas processing plant took place that day, and the plant shut down because of a fire that broke out after the drone strike.

What People Are Saying

The activist hacker group Anonymous wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on January 24: “Ukrainian defense drones successfully destroyed Russia’s Ryazan Oil Refinery. Russia’s entire oil industry is being dismantled by Ukraine.”

Tom Kloza, the global head of energy analysis at OPIS, wrote on X on February 19: “Another night and another instance of Ukrainian drones smacking a Russian refinery. This time the target was the Syzran refinery in the Samara Oblast region, some 400 miles from the Ukraine border. Campaign to take out Russian oil infrastructure appears to be gaining steam.”

Serhii Sternenko, a Ukrainian activist and volunteer, wrote on X on January 29: “While OPEC countries ignore @realDonaldTrump demand to lower oil prices, Ukraine itself is imposing effective sanctions against russian energy carriers. Kstovsky oil refinery tonight.”

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, wrote on Telegram about Ukraine’s strike on the Syzran oil refinery on February 19: “For the Russian army, refineries of this level play an important role in providing fuel and are part of the logistics of the troops.”