Ukrainian missiles spark major fire at Russian refinery

Ukraine's near-daily drone barrage has hit Russia's Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl, further escalating its campaign against Moscow’s energy production and export facilities.

IMAGE: Getty Images

“A fire was recorded at the facility,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in an update on social media platform X.

The facility belongs to one of Russia’s largest oil-refining companies, PJSC Slavneft. It has a refining capacity of about 15 mt/year, or around 300,000 b/d, Ukraine’s army said.

Located about 250 km northeast of Moscow, the refinery produces gasoline, fuel oil, and other petroleum products.

Ukraine has hit the Slavneft-YANOS refinery many times, claiming that its processed fuel is supplied to the Russian army.

The latest drone strike adds to the list of several attacks launched by Ukraine in recent weeks, as Kyiv presses its campaign against Russian energy infrastructure.

Ukraine struck a Lukoil-owned oil refinery deep inside Russia’s Perm region, about 1,600 km from the Russia-Ukraine border, earlier this month.

The attack was followed by strikes on the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region and an oil processing unit in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region.

The Afipsky oil refinery has a production capacity of 6.25 million mt/year, or about 180,000 b/d.

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.

By Aparupa Mazumder

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online