Key facts
- Ukraine struck Gazprom's Neftekhim Salavat oil refinery in Bashkortostan, over 1,300 km from its border.
- The attack, attributed to drone debris, caused a fire at the 200,000-bpd facility.
- The Orsknefteorgsintez refinery in Orenburg has halted operations due to Ukrainian drone strikes, with repairs potentially taking six months.
- These attacks have reduced Russia's refinery runs and fuel exports, leading to domestic shortages and imports from India.
- Ukraine also targeted oil export infrastructure at Novorossiysk and damaged four warships in a separate Black Sea attack.
Ukraine has escalated its long-range strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, most recently targeting the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat oil refinery complex in Russia's Bashkortostan region, approximately 1,300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The attack, confirmed by Ukraine's General Staff, reportedly caused a fire due to falling drone debris. This facility is one of Russia's largest oil refining and petrochemical complexes.
This strike follows the complete halt of operations at the Orsknefteorgsintez plant in the Orenburg region, another major refinery in the Urals, after it was hit by Ukrainian drones. Regional governor Yevgeny Solntsev indicated that repairs could take up to six months, citing difficulties in replacing damaged equipment due to sanctions. The city of Orsk also experienced another drone attack.
These repeated attacks on Russian refineries have significantly impacted the country's fuel production and export capabilities. Russian refinery runs in July averaged about 3.6 million barrels per day, more than 30% below seasonal norms. Consequently, seaborne petroleum-product exports fell substantially in July. The domestic fuel supply has tightened, leading Russia to restrict exports of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, and even resort to importing gasoline, such as a recent 42,000-ton cargo from India's Nayara Energy.
Ukraine's strategy aims to squeeze Russia's oil revenue and tighten domestic fuel supplies. The pressure extends to export infrastructure, with Ukraine's Security Service reporting attacks on oil infrastructure connected to Transneft's Sheskharis export terminal near Novorossiysk. In a separate incident, Ukraine also claimed to have damaged four Russian warships, including two frigates, at the Black Sea Fleet naval base in Novorossiysk.