Saratov Rosneft refinery halts operations after drone attack - Bloomberg
Illustrative photo: Rosneft oil well (Getty Images)
The Saratov oil refinery operated by Rosneft has temporarily halted crude intake following a drone attack that occurred on Sunday, August 10, according to Bloomberg.
According to the outlet, this is already the third Russian oil refinery hit by unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) strikes this month.
The Saratov refinery, located in the Volga region, has a design capacity of around 140,000 barrels of crude per day, or roughly 7 million tonnes annually. Operated by Rosneft, the plant produces more than 20 types of petroleum products.
A prolonged shutdown could affect the domestic gasoline supply in Russia, especially during the seasonal spike in fuel demand. Rosneft’s press service has not yet commented on the incident.
Drone strikes on Russian refineries
On the night of August 10, Ukraine’s Armed Forces Unmanned Systems Forces, in coordination with other Defence Forces units, struck the Saratov refinery, about 600 km from Ukraine’s border. The attack killed one person, injured several others, and damaged both residential and industrial facilities.
Drone strikes also damaged two of the three main processing units at the Ryazan refinery, halving its output. In addition, the Novokuybyshevsk refinery, another Rosneft facility, has been shut down completely since August 2 following a UAV attack.
