Ukraine Hits Russia's Biggest Refinery
Ukraine struck three Russian refineries, including the country’s biggest, in the latest attack on energy assets that is deepening a nationwide gasoline shortage.
“The Omsk refinery has been attacked,” Ukraine’s General Staff said in a Telegram statement on Monday. Based on preliminary information, one of the refinery’s primary oil-processing units with a capacity of 8.4 million tons per year was damaged, they said.
Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent weeks in an effort to bring the Kremlin to the negotiating table. The strikes have halted or curtailed operations at several key Russian refineries, leading to gasoline supply issues across the country.
Vitaly Khotsenko, governor of the Omsk region in Western Siberia, confirmed the strike on the refinery in a Telegram post, saying there were no casualties. The plant is the largest oil refinery in Russia, with a capacity of about 22 million tons a year, or some 440,000 barrels a day.
The distance from Ukraine’s border to the Siberian refinery is over 2,500 kilometers (about 1,600 miles), Ukraine’s General Staff said. The strike so deep into Russian territory highlights how Ukraine’s tactics and long-range strike capabilities have evolved as it attempts to bring the war closer to home for Russians.
Earlier on Monday, Ukraine’s General Staff also reported strikes on the Yanos oil refinery in the Yaroslavl region close to Moscow and on Novatek PGSC’s Ust-Luga plant on Russia’s Baltic coast. The Ust-Luga facility processes stable gas condensate into a range of petroleum products including naphtha and jet fuel.
Novatek and Gazprom Neft PJSC, which owns the Omsk refinery and co-owns the Yanos facility, did not immediately respond to Bloomberg requests for comments.
Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Russia’s Leningrad region, said earlier Monday that the Baltic ports of Ust-Luga and Vysotsk were under Ukrainian drone attacks and suffered some damage.
The government in Moscow banned most exports of gasoline and jet fuel and has considered a short-term ban on foreign sales of diesel. Russia has also ramped up seaborne crude exports to a record, redirecting the extra barrels to foreign markets.
Novatek’s Ust-Luga facility temporarily halted operations after a Ukrainian drone attack in March, putting pressure on Russia’s refinery runs. The Yanos plant has been a target of multiple strikes, most recently just over a week ago.
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