Russia's Ryazan oil refinery shuts down after drone attack — Reuters
Photo: Ryazan oil refinery (Russian media)
The Ryazan oil refinery in Russia, one of the largest in the country, has halted crude oil processing following a drone attack, according to Reuters.
What caused shutdown
The refinery’s operations were halted on Wednesday, July 29. According to two industry sources cited by the agency, the shutdown could last about two weeks. After an unscheduled shutdown, it takes a significant amount of time to resume refining operations—it is necessary to restart primary and secondary units, adjust technological processes, and restore product quality specifications.
Rosneft, which owns the refinery, did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Refining volumes
According to industry sources, the Ryazan refinery processed 13.1 million metric tons of crude oil in 2024. This represents about 4.9% of Russia’s total crude oil refining volume. That same year, the refinery produced 2.2 million metric tons of gasoline, 3.4 million metric tons of diesel fuel, and 4.3 million metric tons of fuel oil.
Despite the halt in refining operations, as of Thursday, the refinery continued to sell petroleum products on the St. Petersburg International Commodity Exchange. Exchange data showed that volumes of gasoline and diesel fuel were listed for sale.
According to industry sources, the shutdown could last about two weeks.
This is not the first time the Ryazan oil refinery has halted operations due to a drone strike. The refinery’s infrastructure was damaged on May 15, after which it also temporarily suspended refining operations.
On the night of July 29, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Ryazan oil refinery—one of the top five largest refineries in Russia.
According to Ukraine's General Staff, the attack was carried out by Deep Strike units of the Special Operations Forces in coordination with the Russian insurgent movement Chernaya Iskra.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy clarified that not only the oil refinery but also a logistics center in Ryazan had been hit. The distance from the Ukrainian border is about 360 kilometers.
