Ukrainian drones destroy 12% of Russia's oil refining capacity in two days

9 months ago
7

During two days, 12% of Russian oil refining facilities were damaged by Ukrainian UAVs. This was reported by Bloomberg.
According to the publication, the three facilities attacked by Ukrainian drones in two days account for about 12% of Russia's oil refining facilities.
Airstrike on March 13 caused a fire at one of the country's largest oil refineries, the Ryazan refinery of Rosneft. The refinery had to shut down two primary oil refining units.
The Ryazan refinery, about 200 kilometres southeast of Moscow, has a capacity of 17.1 million tonnes a year, or about 340,000 barrels a day. It is a major supplier of motor fuels to the Russian regions around the capital.
The small Novoshakhtinsk refinery in the southern Rostov region was also shut down due to a drone attack. The latest wave of attacks, which began on March 12, damaged a unit at LUKoil's Norsi refinery in Nizhny Novgorod and an oil depot in Orel region.
Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian oil infrastructure since January in a campaign to hurt the country’s economy. The latest attacks come ahead of Russia’s presidential election this weekend.
The targets this week are major refineries, particularly the Rosneft facility in Ryazan, which has a refining capacity of 340,000 barrels per day, according to Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates.
The campaign of Ukrainian attacks this year has hit refineries representing 25% of Russia’s total refining capacity of 6.8 million barrels per day, according to Lipow. About 50% of Russia’s refining capacity is within range of a Ukrainian drone attack, he said.
The attacks will curtail Russian diesel exports and turn the country into a gasoline importer, he said.
“We’re seeing oil prices rise, really being led by products on the back of these attacks which have been going on with some regularity since January,” Lipow said. “The market is pricing in higher and higher probabilities of supply disruptions especially when you damage refineries.”

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