At least 12 oil refineries in Russia have been successfully targeted by the Ukraine’s SBU Security Service’s long-range drones, the public broadcaster Suspilne and Reuters reported on March 17, citing the agency’s sources.
According to another Reuters intelligence source, the list is not complete, as it does not include operations by the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), which also carries out drone strikes on Russian refineries.
NV lists the most notable strikes and damage to Russia’s most coveted oil processing facilities, which are considered legitimate military targets in the war.
Russian and international media have reported attacks on the following Russian refineries since the beginning of 2024:
Tuapse Oil Refinery, Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, Jan. 24
Capacity: 9.03 million tons of oil per year
According to a Jan. 26 Reuters report, the plant halted processing and oil extraction after a midnight drone strike on Jan. 24-25 set fire to the plant’s vacuum unit.
The Tuapse refinery, owned by Rosneft, is the only one on Russia’s Black Sea coast and one of the 10 largest refineries in Russia. According to Reuters, the annual capacity of the refinery is 12 million tons (240 thousand barrels per day). It produces oil, fuel oil, vacuum gas oil, and high-sulfur diesel fuel, and supplies fuel to Turkey, China, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Nevsky Fuel Oil Plant, St. Petersburg, Leningradskaya Oblast, Jan. 31
Capacity: 20.1 million tons of oil per year
Three allegedly empty tanks at the plant caught fire after drone debris fell on them. In an earlier attack on Jan. 18, a UAV reportedly attempted to attack the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, Russia’s largest oil terminal in the Baltic region.
Read also: Ukrainian drones attack Slaviansk refinery in Krasnodar Krai, Russia
Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka Plant, Volgograd, Volgograd Oblast, Feb. 3
Capacity: 14.5 million tons of oil per year
A fire of about 300 square meters and a “spill of oil products” were detected at the largest producer of petroleum products in Russia’s Southern Federal District after a UAV hit.
Ilya and Afip Oil Refineries, Krasnodar Krai, Feb. 9
Capacity: 6.6 million tons and 7.02 million tons of oil per year, respectively.
A large fire broke out at the Ilya refinery after Ukrainian drones attacked the two facilities, which are located about 20 km from each other. A primary oil refining unit with a capacity of 3.6 million tons per year was damaged, NV’s SBU sources said. The cost of this unit is $50 million.
In a previous strike in October 2023, the plant’s several new oil refineries and oil tanks were attacked there. According to the SBU, the plant produces more than 7 million tons of aviation fuel per year, which is used to refuel enemy military aircraft.
Lukoil-Nizhny Novgorodnefteorgsintez Plant, Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, March 12
Capacity: 17 million tons of oil per year
Drones hit the plant’s powerful AVT-6 refinery, which accounted for about 53% of the refinery’s output, according to Russian news outlet Kommersant. Its operation was suspended after a major fire at the plant. The Nizhny Novgorod refinery, owned by Lukoil, is one of the largest in Russia. It processed about 5% of Russia’s total oil refining output.
Ryazan Oil Refinery, Ryazan, Ryazan Oblast, March 13
Capacity: 17.1 million tons of oil per year
Two primary refining units at the Rosneft’s largest refinery were shut down after the attack, Reuters reported, citing sources. The refinery processes about 4.6% of Russia’s total oil production, with significant portion of which is exported.
Read also: Russia under attack for 4th straight day: Belgorod village heavily damaged, drones over two oblasts
Kirishinefteorgsintez Plant, Kirishi, Leningrad Oblast, March 13.
Capacity: 20.1 million tons of oil per year
A drone was shot down “on approach” to the refinery. “The consequences at the crash site have been localized and eliminated,” regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko claimed. A source in the SBU confirmed the attack, but there is no reliable information about its consequences.
This is the second largest refinery in Russia by volume.
First Plant, Kaluga, Kaluga Oblast, March 15
A fire broke out after one of the drones “hit a pipe” at the Kaluga refinery, Russian Telegram channels initially reported. However, according to a later report by the ASTRA telegram channel, three drones managed to hit the target, causing damage to the plant’s technological equipment.
Novokuibyshevsk, Kuibyshev and Syzran refineries, Samara Oblast, March 16
Capacity: 7.9 million tons, 7 million tons and 7 million tons of oil per year, respectively.
Three major Rosneft refineries were “effectively” targeted by the SBU on one day. The combined output of the facilities is about 25 million tons per year, which is almost 10% of Russia’s total oil refining.
Read also: Ukraine's SBU responsible for latest drone attacks on 3 Russian oil refineries near Samara – source
Slavyansk ECO Oil Refinery, Slavyansk-on-the-Kuban, Krasnodar Krai, March 17
Capacity: 3.99 million tons of oil per year
The strike hit the atmospheric oil distillation columns, causing a major fire.
Ukrainian drone targets: what you need to know about refinery towers
Atmospheric vacuum and cracking units are the main elements of an oil refinery plant. They are custom-built to meet the needs of the enterprise and can cost millions of dollars.
The principle of operation is similar: they are used to separate oil into fractions using pressure, temperature and catalysts in distillation columns.
Depending on the type of thermal cracker, variety of fractions can be used as raw materials, including:
- Kerosene
- Gas oil
- Diesel
- Fuel oil
- Lubricants
- Tar
A distillation column, the primary target for the Ukrainian drones, is a special technological apparatus in a refinery designed to separate liquid mixtures whose components have different boiling points:
- Gases ~20C
- Gasoline components ~150C
- Kerosene ~220C
- Gas oil ~400C
- Diesel fuel components ~400C
- Lubricants ~450C
- Bitumen ~580C
A classic column is a vertical cylinder with contactors inside.
Read also: Drone attacks spark fires at two refineries in Russia's Samara Oblast
Industrial distillation columns can reach 60 meters in height and 6 meters in diameter.
Modern oil distillation plants use the method of heating refined products individually in furnaces and then feeding the heated mass into the distillation column.
In this way, oil products are cracked, i.e. broken down during heating, based on the difference in boiling points of individual oil fractions.
Read also: Petrochemical plant hit in nighttime drone attack in Russia’s Kaluga Oblast, UA intel tells NV
Cracking can be:
- Thermal (without a catalyst)
- Catalytic (with a catalyst)
- Hydrocracking.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Section: Life
Author: Alex Stezhensky
