Ukraine attacked with drones Rosneft’s Ryazan refinery in Russia, again, the commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, Robert Brovdi, said on Friday, as eyewitnesses reported explosions, a fire, and thick smoke near the refinery in the region southeast of Moscow.
The Ryazan refinery operated by oil giant Rosneft is one of the biggest crude processing plants in Russia with a capacity to process more than 260,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude—or 5% of Russia’s refining capacity.
Ukraine also attacked early on Friday an oil depot in the Luhansk region, which is occupied by Russia, the Ukrainian army said.
The hit on the Ryazan refinery is one of several Rosneft has sustained at its facility this year, including a drone hit in August, when Ukraine intensified attacks against key energy infrastructure in Russia.
Several refineries in Russia sustained damages during Ukrainian drone strikes last month.
Ukraine also targeted in August Rosneft’s Saratov Refinery in the Volga region with the capacity to process 140,000 bpd of crude. The facility had to temporarily suspend intake of crude and processing operations.
A Lukoil refinery in the Russian city of Volgograd caught fire after being hit by Ukrainian drones in the middle of August. The Volgograd refinery is Lukoil’s second-biggest crude processing facility in Russia and a key fuel supplier to the southern federal district in the country.
Over the past four weeks, Ukrainian drones have caused various degrees of damage at at least half a dozen refineries in Russia and at the fuel loading and gas processing complex at the Ust-Luga port on the Russian Baltic Sea. Repairs at the most seriously damaged unit at Ust-Luga could take up to six months, according to reports.
Due to crippled domestic operating refining capacity, Russia is expected to sharply increase crude oil exports in the coming weeks.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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