Ukraine Says It Hit Two Russian Oil Refineries Overnight
Ukraine said it hit two Russian oil refineries, after stepping up attacks on the country’s energy sector over the past month.
The Kuibyshev refinery in Russia’s Samara region near the Volga River and the Afipsky refinery in the southern Krasnodar region were successfully targeted, according to the Telegram post on Thursday by Robert Brovdi, chief of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.
One unit at the Afipsky refinery caught fire due to falling debris from a drone, Krasnodar authorities confirmed, adding that a blaze of about 20 square meters was being extinguished.
Russia didn’t confirm any damage to the Kuibyshev refinery, owned by state-controlled giant Rosneft PJSC. However, the Defence Ministry reported early Thursday that it shot down more than a dozen drones overnight in the Samara and Rostov regions.
Rosneft and Afipsky refinery didn’t immediately respond to Bloomberg requests for comment.
Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian energy industry over the past month, targeting multiple refineries and export infrastructure. The strikes exacerbated a crisis in the domestic fuel market, leading to price spikes amid high seasonal demand. Attacks on Russian pipelines also contributed to slowing oil exports.
The Afipsky refinery has a processing capacity of as much as 9.1 million tons of crude oil annually, or some 180,000 barrels per day, making it one of Russia’s smaller facilities. The Kuibyshev plant, which has processing capacity of about 140,000 barrels a day, started planned maintenance last month.
Attacks on Russian refineries earlier this month temporarily shuttered about 13% of the country’s active capacity.
Russian attacks on Ukraine often target civilian infrastructure. Overnight Russia unleashed a wave of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv, killing at least 10 people.
Source : Bloomberg
