Ukraine targets more Russian oil refineries with drones

Ukraine's drone strikes have hit more oil refineries in Russia, further escalating its near-daily drone campaign against Moscow’s energy production and export facilities.

IMAGE: Flags of Russia and Ukraine. Getty Images

Kyiv has struck the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on social media platform Telegram.

The drone strike caused a fire to break out at the refinery, Kondratyev said. The refinery has a production capacity of 6.25 million mt/year, or about 180,000 b/d.

Another oil processing unit in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region caught fire earlier today, Ukraine’s military said on Telegram. The refinery belongs to one of Russia’s largest oil companies Lukoil.

Last week, Ukraine hit another Lukoil-owned oil refinery deep inside Russia’s Perm region, about 1,600 km from the Russia-Ukraine border.

The attack on Lukoil’s refinery came shortly after Ukraine struck Rosneft’s oil facility in Russia’s Bashkortostan region. Rosneft and Lukoil together produce more than 5 million b/d of oil in Russia.

Kyiv has launched multiple strikes against Russian processing plants and export terminals, seeking to curb Moscow's oil revenues while simultaneously straining domestic fuel supplies. These attacks have raised concerns over global oil supply and supported oil prices.

“Reports say Russia is considering extending its diesel export ban until 1 October amid ongoing attacks on refinery infrastructure in the country. This has tightened the domestic fuel market,” two analysts from ING Bank noted.

Moscow originally announced the export ban on 8 July, extending it until 1 September. “Russia is the second-largest diesel exporter. So, the extended ban matters for the market,” ING Bank’s analysts noted.

By Aparupa Mazumder

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