Largest oil refinery in southern Russia halts operations after drone attacks
Illustrative photo: Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery halts operations (Russian media)
The Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in the Rostov region has halted the operation of both primary oil processing units. It is the largest refinery in southern Russia, The Moscow Times reports.
The refinery is the only one with a capacity of 5.6 million tons of oil per year. On the night of December 19, it was attacked by drones, causing a large-scale fire.
During the attack, the AVT-2.5-2 unit with a capacity of 7,140 tons per day was damaged. It provides half of the plant's total output.
Due to the attack and the fire, production had to be urgently halted. The oil product tank and the second similar unit were also damaged.
Attack on the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery
Ukraine regularly carries out drone attacks on oil refineries in the Russian Federation. These actions are aimed at weakening Russia's military infrastructure.
On the night of December 19, explosions were heard in the Russian city of Novoshakhtinsk. Later, acting governor of the Rostov region, Yuriy Slyusar, reported a fire at the Novoshakhtinsk oil products plant.
According to Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, the oil refinery in Novoshakhtinsk plays an important role in Russia's defense industry.
Subsequent satellite images of the attack site were released.
