Ukraine’s strikes in August: How much Russian oil refining stopped

According to Reuters, in August, damage to Russian refineries from Ukrainian drone attacks and planned technical maintenance reached record levels. Total primary oil refining capacity in Russia amounted to 6.4 million tons, which is 65% higher than previous estimates. At the same time, drone strikes caused shutdowns of 3.1 million tons, or nearly half of the total impact.

Key points of the situation

• Ukraine has targeted major refineries in Samara, Syzran, and Volgograd, as well as ports and facilities in southern Russia, causing significant operational losses at the plants.
• Despite the strikes, Russia has increased processing levels at operating sites to compensate for losses and mitigate the impact of attacks on production and exports.
• Due to higher demand for gasoline during the peak transportation season in Russia and fuel shortages in some regions, the government has imposed an export ban on gasoline and is controlling prices on the domestic market.

Experts note that Ukraine’s actions have significantly affected Russian oil capacity, putting about 17% of refineries out of operation, equivalent to 1.2 million barrels per day. At the same time, increased processing at other plants allows Russia to partially offset losses and maintain stability in the domestic fuel market.

Earlier, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Madyar Brovdi reported that two Russian refineries and two pumping stations on the Druzhba oil pipeline, which connects Russia with Europe, were attacked within a week. The refineries in question are the Volgograd and Novoshakhtinsk plants.

Additionally, the Unecha pumping station, the largest hub in the Druzhba main pipeline network, has been repeatedly targeted.