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Oil refining has stopped at the Syzran and Saratov refineries in Russia following recent Ukrainian drone strikes, Reuters reports, citing three industry sources.
The Syzran refinery was shut down on Tuesday, September 15, while the Saratov refinery suspended operations on September 11.
The shutdowns are expected to put additional pressure on Russia’s domestic fuel supply, as Moscow has already restricted exports of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Syzran refinery
Several facilities at the Syzran refinery were damaged in a drone strike, including the CDU-6 crude distillation unit, with a capacity of 17,100 metric tonnes per day. That represents about 71% of the refinery’s processing capacity.
Industry sources estimate repairs could take at least one month.
The refinery’s second crude distillation unit, CDU-5, with a capacity of 7,100 tonnes per day, was already undergoing repairs following a drone attack in July.
Saratov refinery
The Saratov refinery halted crude processing on September 11 after another drone attack.
Sources said the facility had also suspended operations on September 8 because of equipment damage and fires, with preparations underway to resume processing on September 10–11.
The refinery had previously been shut down for several weeks after another drone attack on August 2.
The September attacks on the Saratov refinery also coincided with a fire at an Ozon logistics hub in the region.
On September 15, Ukrainian Defense Forces also struck the Syzran refinery and the Atlant Aero enterprise in Taganrog. A fire was reported at the Syzran facility following the strike.
