Russia's Third-Largest Refinery Ceases Operations.
In a series of targeted attacks, Ukrainian forces have been conducting a sustained campaign of drone strikes against multiple Russian oil refineries since early August 2025. This strategic move aims to undermine Russia’s war capacity by targeting its economic lifelines, specifically energy infrastructure.
The campaign has taken a significant toll on Russia’s oil refining capacity, with key facilities repeatedly hit, causing fires, damage to critical processing units, and prolonged outages. Notable targets include the Novokuibyshevsk, Syzran, Ryazan, Volgograd, Saratov, Krasnodar, and Novoshakhtinsk refineries, among others.
The Novokuibyshevsk refinery, accounting for nearly 5% of Russia’s refining capacity, suffered damage to its main refining unit, stopping about 80% of its output and expected to remain offline for at least a month. The Syzran refinery, producing over 8.5 million tons of crude oil product a year, was also targeted.
The impacts of these strikes are far-reaching. Persistent facility fires have lasted days, such as the Novoshakhtinsk refinery’s fire that lasted for three days as of August 24. Reduction in crude oil processing volumes has been reported, with the Ryazan refinery experiencing a 60% cut for August. Disruptions in fuel supplies to key Russian regions and a strain on Russia’s oil-based revenue have also been observed. This has contributed to rising domestic fuel prices in Russia, adding political and economic pressure on the Russian government.
The Volgograd refinery, one of the largest in southern Russia and among the top 10 in the country, has halted operations due to a drone strike. Oil spills occurred at the refinery due to the fire. According to Bloomberg, the Volgograd refinery, owned by Lukoil, stopped crude oil intake following the attack.
The Saratov refinery, supplying fuel to 13 regions of Russia and Crimea, was disrupted due to a drone strike. The Moscow Times reports that a series of Ukrainian drone strikes have affected at least seven oil refineries in Russia over the past two weeks.
Repair duration for the affected refineries like Novokuibyshevsk and Ryazan is expected to take at least a month for the most critical units, with repeated strikes causing recurring damage and delaying repairs. Ukraine’s tactic of hitting refineries as Russian repair crews engage prolongs outages and increases economic damage.
The "Lukoil-Ukhtaneftepererabotka" refinery in the Republic of Komi was targeted on August 10, almost 2,000 km from the Ukrainian border. No further information is provided about the current status of the Saratov refinery.
As the campaign continues, the strategic aim of Ukraine remains clear: to undermine Russia’s war capacity by targeting its economic lifelines, specifically energy infrastructure. The long-term effects of these attacks on Russia’s energy sector and its overall economy remain to be seen.
The strategic attacks on Russian oil refineries, including the Novokuibyshevsk and Syzran refineries, have caused significant damage to Russia's finance sector, as disruptions in fuel supplies and the strain on oil-based revenue have led to rising domestic fuel prices in Russia, adding political and economic pressure on the government.
The targeting of key energy infrastructure, such as the Novoshakhtinsk refinery and the Volgograd refinery, has impacted the industry's ability to generate revenue and supply crucial resources, potentially leading to long-term economic consequences for Russia.
