Ukraine reports strikes on Russia's five largest oil refineries since 30 October
Ukraine's General Staff said seven Russian refineries had been hit, detailing damage at Kirishi and a suspension of operations at Saratov.
By Amit Ricci ·
Ukrainian forces have struck Russia's five largest oil refineries since 30 October, Ukraine's General Staff said in a Facebook statement. The facilities named were Omsk, Kirishi, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl. The announcement outlined attacks over the past two weeks as part of what the military described as a systematic effort to disable Russian oil refining capacity.
The General Staff also reported strikes on the smaller Novokuybyshevsk and Saratov refineries, describing those facilities as no less important to Russia. Its statement linked the attacks on refining infrastructure to efforts to reduce fuel supplies for Russian forces and the revenue available to finance the war against Ukraine.
The military provided details of damage at Kirishi and Saratov, saying the results of strikes on both sites had been confirmed. It also reported that a fire broke out on 11 November at a major Russian refinery that supplies fuel daily for the war against Ukraine.
The Kirishi refinery, in Russia's Leningrad Oblast, was hit during the night of 8 to 9 November. It has an installed processing capacity of approximately 20 million tonnes of oil annually and represents more than 6% of Russia's total oil refining. Its output includes a range of petroleum products, among them fuel supplied to Russian forces.
According to the General Staff, the Kirishi attack damaged an atmospheric distillation unit, a unit used for the primary processing of crude oil and two cooling units. The military said targeting primary processing equipment reduces the amount of fuel produced for the Russian army while cutting the revenues Russia uses to support its war.
The Saratov Oil Refinery was struck earlier, on 7 November. With an annual capacity of about seven million tonnes of oil, the plant serves Russia's armed forces and military-industrial complex. The reported damage included its sole primary oil processing unit, known as AVT-6, two fuel hydrotreatment units and pipelines. A storage tank with a capacity of 10,000 cubic metres also caught fire. The General Staff said the refinery had suspended operations.
In its statement, the General Staff said distance offered no protection to facilities supporting Russia's war effort, whether in Siberia or regions closer to Ukraine. It said Ukrainian forces would continue systematic strikes intended to compel Russia to end its armed aggression, invoking Ukraine's right to self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
