Key facts
- Smoke and fire were reported at Moscow's oil refinery on July 10.
- The cause of the blaze has not been confirmed.
- It remains unclear if the refinery's operations have been affected.
- The Moscow Oil Refinery is unlikely to resume production before the end of 2026 due to prior damage from Ukrainian drone attacks.
- The Saratov Oil Refinery halted production after a Ukrainian drone attack the previous day.
Smoke and fire were reported at Moscow's oil refinery on July 10, according to Telegram monitoring channels, though the cause of the blaze has not been confirmed.
The Moscow Oil Refinery, operated by Gazprom Neft, is the primary supplier of gasoline and diesel fuel to Moscow and the surrounding region. Footage shared online appeared to show thick black smoke rising on the territory of the Moscow Oil Refinery in the capital's Kapotnya district. The monitoring channel Exilenova+ reported a fire in the area, but no official information on the cause was immediately available.
Russian authorities had not commented on the incident at the time of publication, and it remained unclear whether the refinery itself had been damaged or whether its operations had been affected.
The Moscow Oil Refinery is unlikely to resume production before the end of 2026 after suffering extensive damage in Ukrainian drone attacks earlier this year, according to a June 24 Reuters report citing industry sources. The report said repairs to the facility, which was struck by Ukrainian drones twice in June, are expected to take at least six months.
The incident also comes a day after another key Russian refinery, the Saratov Oil Refinery, halted production following a Ukrainian drone attack. The refinery is operated by Rosneft and processes around 7 million metric tons of crude oil annually.
Ukraine's campaign targeting Russian oil refineries has mounted pressure on the Kremlin by exacerbating a domestic fuel supply crisis that has led to fuel shortages, rising prices, export restrictions, and sales limits in multiple Russian regions. On July 8, the Russian government announced a temporary ban on diesel exports until at least the end of the month in an effort to stabilize domestic supplies.