Ukraine strikes 5 of Russia's largest oil refineries in several days
Photo: Russia cannot protect even its largest oil refineries from attacks (Russian media)
In the first days of November, Ukraine's Defense Forces managed to strike five of Russia's largest oil refineries in a series of powerful attacks, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The facilities targeted were the Omsk, Kirishi, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Yaroslavl refineries, which rank among the five largest in Russia in terms of capacity.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces also successfully attacked the Novokuibyshevsk and Saratov oil refineries.
One of the largest strikes targeted the Omsk refinery. The facility is located approximately 2,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. A fire broke out there overnight on November 11 after the facility was struck by Ukrainian forces. The refinery is one of the key elements of Russia's oil refining industry and supplies fuel, including for the needs of Russia's war machine.
The Omsk refinery has an annual processing capacity of more than 21 million tons of oil. The facility has one of the highest crude oil processing depth rates in Russia, at around 99%.
The results of the attacks on the Kirishi and Saratov refineries have also been confirmed.
During the night of November 9, Ukrainian forces struck Kinef LLC (Kirishi Oil Refinery) in the Leningrad region. Its production facilities can process approximately 20 million tons of oil annually. This accounts for more than 6% of Russia's total oil refining volume.
The refinery produces a wide range of petroleum products, including fuel for the Russian army. The attack damaged an atmospheric tubular oil distillation unit (AT), an ELOU primary oil processing unit, and two cooling complexes.
Another target was the Saratov refinery, which was attacked on November 7. The facility processes approximately 7 million tons of oil annually and operates, among other things, to meet the needs of Russia's military-industrial complex and armed forces.
During the strike, the plant's only AVT-6 primary oil distillation unit, two fuel hydrotreating units, pipelines, and a storage tank with a capacity of 10,000 cubic meters were damaged. A fire broke out at the tank. The facility's operations have now been suspended.
Damage to primary processing units directly affects the volume of petroleum product production. This limits Russia's ability to supply its troops with fuel and also reduces the revenue that the Kremlin can direct toward financing the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine emphasized that geographical distance no longer guarantees the safety of Russian industrial facilities. Ukraine's Defense Forces continue to strike enterprises that are of strategic importance to sustaining Russian aggression.
Ukraine attacked more than a third of Russia's total oil refining capacity in 13 days.
Read also about the consequences of a massive overnight aerial assault by Ukraine's Defense Forces on Russia on November 11.
