Ukraine hits key Russian refinery as war continues

• Two major Russian refineries halted crude processing after drone strikes
• Syzran and Saratov plants face damage to key distillation units
• Stoppages likely to worsen domestic fuel shortages in Russia

Two major Russian oil refineries have stopped processing crude after Ukrainian drone strikes, according to a Reuters report citing three industry sources.

The halts come even as global energy prices climb amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and tensions involving Iran. What happened at the refineries? The Syzran refinery, owned by Rosneft and located in the Volga river city of Syzran, was halted on Tuesday. The Saratov refinery, also in the Volga region, suspended operations last Friday, the sources told Reuters. At Syzran, several facilities were damaged in a drone attack on September 15. The main crude distillation unit, known as CDU-6, was hit. That unit can process 17,100 metric tons of crude per day, which is about 71% of the plant’s total capacity. The refinery’s second unit, CDU-5, which handles 7,100 tons per day (29% of capacity), was already under repairs after a previous drone strike in July. Industry sources said repairs at Syzran could take at least a month. The Saratov refinery stopped crude processing on September 11 after another drone attack. It had also paused on September 8 due to equipment damage and fires from an earlier strike, and was preparing to restart between September 10 and 11 before the latest halt. The plant had been shut for several weeks after a drone attack on August 2.

Why it matters for Russia’s fuel supply

The stoppages are likely to worsen domestic fuel shortages in Russia. The country has already restricted exports of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to protect its own supply, Reuters noted.

Both refineries are significant. Syzran has a nameplate capacity of 8.5 million tons of crude per year, or about 150,000 barrels per day. Saratov can process 7.0 million tons per year, or roughly 140,000 barrels per day.

In 2024, Syzran processed 4.3 million tons of crude and produced 0.8 million tons of gasoline, 1.5 million tons of diesel and 0.7 million tons of fuel oil, according to separate industry sources cited by Reuters. Saratov processed 5.8 million tons of crude that year, yielding 1.2 million tons of gasoline, 1.9 million tons of diesel and 1.0 million tons of fuel oil.

Russia and Ukraine have continued striking each other’s energy infrastructure this week, even after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that both sides had agreed to stop such attacks, Reuters reported.