Nine attacks this year – how Ukrainian drones are destroying the Ryazan refinery, Moscow’s main supplier

The Rosneft oil refinery in Ryazan, one of Russia’s largest and Moscow’s main fuel supplier, was again attacked on the night of December 6 by Ukrainian drones, according to Ukrainian monitoring channels and Russian media Astra.

This is the third attack in the month and the ninth since the beginning of the year on this strategic refinery.

Regional Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed the attack, stating that drone debris fell on the refinery grounds, but no casualties were reported. “Material damage is being assessed,” he said on Telegram.

According to Exilenova+, the Izomalk-2-LIN-800 unit, which produces high-octane gasoline, was hit, while Supernova+ reported damage to the catalytic cracking and hydroprocessing unit — a critical structure for the refining process.

Experts warn that serious damage could force the refinery to halt operations.

Ryazan refinery processed 13.1 million tons of crude oil in 2024, about 5% of Russia’s total refinery capacity, while its annual capacity is 17.1 million tons.

It produces gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and lubricants for Russia’s air forces.

Russian air defense reported shooting down 29 Ukrainian drones over the Ryazan region overnight and in the morning, but some managed to strike the target.

The Ryazan refinery was also hit on November 20, November 15, October 23, September 5, and August 2.

The attacks are heavily impacting Russia’s energy industry. Reuters sources said that after the November 15 attack, the plant halted operations due to damage to the main refining unit, which accounts for 48% of its capacity.

It became the fifth Russian refinery to stop production in November due to Ukrainian drones, along with:

Tuapse Refinery (Rosneft) – November 3

Volgograd (Lukoil) – November 6

Orskneftorgsintez (Orenburg) – November 10

Saratov (Rosneft) – November 11

Industry statistics cited by Reuters show that total refinery output in Russia fell by 6% from August to October.

The Kremlin has classified gasoline production data for 2024, citing the risk of “market speculation.”/The Geopost/