Ukrainian drones attacked the Rosneft oil refinery in Ryazan on the night of Dec. 6, hitting the plant for the third time this month and the ninth time since the start of the year, according to Ukrainian monitoring channels and Astra, citing local residents.
The refinery supplies Moscow and the surrounding region and processed 13.1 million tons of crude in 2024, about 5% of Russia’s total refining capacity.
Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed the strike, saying drone debris fell on the refinery grounds. “No casualties or serious damage. Material losses are being assessed,” he wrote on Telegram.
Exilenova+ reported that the low-temperature isomerization unit Izomalk-2-LIN-800, which produces high-octane gasoline, was damaged. Supernova+ said the catalytic cracking/hydroprocessing unit, a key facility, was also hit. The channels warn that serious damage could force the refinery to halt operations.
Russian air defenses intercepted 29 Ukrainian drones over Ryazan during the night and morning, according to local authorities.
The Ryazan refinery, with a capacity of 17.1 million tons per year, is among Russia’s largest and produces gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and aviation kerosene for the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The plant was previously hit on Nov. 20, Nov. 15, Oct. 23, Sept. 5, and Aug. 2 - when Ukrainian forces began systematically targeting Russian energy infrastructure.
Reuters sources said that after the Nov. 15 strike, the refinery halted operations due to the shutdown of its main refining unit, responsible for 48% of capacity. It had already been operating at reduced output.
It became the fifth Russian refinery to stop production in November due to drone attacks.
Rosneft’s Tuapse refinery shut on Nov. 3, Lukoil’s Volgograd refinery on Nov. 6, Orskneftorgsintez in Orenburg on Nov. 10, and Rosneft’s Saratov refinery on Nov. 11.
Reuters also reported that, according to classified industry statistics, Russia’s overall refining output fell by 6% between August and October following repeated drone strikes. The Kremlin classified gasoline production data in 2024, citing the risk of “market speculation.”