One Of Russia’s Largest Oil Refineries Once Again On Fire After Ukraine Drone Strike

Ukrainian drones have yet again targeted one of Russia’s largest oil refineries overnight – this time a Rosneft facility in the Ryazan region, which lies southeast of Moscow.

Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov in confirming the strike on what he called an “industrial enterprise” described that eight drones were shot down in the area, but which resulted in no injuries or damage to residential buildings.

The attack unleashed two active fires at the Ryazan refinery, with witnesses hearing explosions around 2 am local time, after which large flames and thick smoke were spotted above the southern outskirts of the city.

Over 90 drones in total were launched across various parts of Russia overnight. Cross-border drone attacks have been a regular feature of the war, coming nightly, and Russia has just as frequently responded with its own major missile and UAV attacks.

One Ukrainian military blogger has claimed that due to Ukraine’s sustained attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, “Gasoline (in Russia) is becoming scarce, while gas and oil are quickly running out.”

Strikes from this summer have reportedly disrupted some 20% of Russia’s refining capacity, or roughly 1.1 million barrels per day.

Ukraine’s military and media have classified Russia’s refineries as essentially military targets, given they prop up funding of the armed forces as they execute Putin’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine:

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the ELOU-AVT-6 primary oil processing unit, with an estimated annual capacity of 6 million tons, was hit.

The plant, which has a capacity of 13.8 million tons per year, was previously struck by Ukrainian drones on Aug. 2, forcing two of its three main refining units to halt operations.

Ukraine’s military said the facility plays a role in supporting Russia’s armed forces.

Just the past month has seen at least a dozen similar attacks on Russian crude refineries and distribution sites – revealing a concerted effort to permanently damage the Kremlin’s ability to fund the war.

Newsmax writes that “The impact has been felt nationwide. Motorists face fuel shortages, long lines, and record prices.” The report adds, “Wholesale gasoline prices have jumped 54% since January, prompting authorities to suspend exports and impose rationing in some regions.”