Ukraine has resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries after a nearly four-month pause, targeting key facilities in an effort to disrupt Russia’s fuel production linked to its military campaign.
In the early hours of July 7, Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Ilsky Oil Refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, Kyiv Post has learned from sources within Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR).
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According to the sources, one of the refinery’s technological workshops was hit during the operation. Local Russian media and regional authorities indirectly confirmed the incident, reporting the fall of “drone debris” on refinery grounds. Emergency services were deployed to the site.
The Ilsky Oil Refinery, officially named after A. Shamar, is among the largest oil-processing facilities in southern Russia, with an annual output exceeding six million tons of fuel. It handles the intake, storage, and refining of hydrocarbons, as well as shipping products by road and rail.
While local authorities claimed there was no visible damage, fires, or smoke at the facility, Kyiv’s intelligence sources maintain that the refinery was successfully targeted. Ukrainian officials emphasize that the plant forms part of Russia’s military-industrial infrastructure, fueling Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
The attack marks Ukraine’s first confirmed strike on a Russian oil refinery since March 11, when drones hit the Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya.
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In early March, Ukrainian forces also targeted Rosneft’s Samara refinery and the Kirishi Oil Refinery in Russia’s Leningrad region – the latter being one of the country’s largest, with a capacity of 17 million tons per year.
A wave of drone strikes over the winter forced at least four Russian oil plants to suspend operations due to fires and damage.
Among them were the Syzran refinery on February 19, Ryazan’s Rosneft refinery – the country’s largest – on January 24, Lukoil’s Volgograd refinery, which paused half of its operations on February 3, and Gazprom’s Astrakhan gas processing plant the following day.
According to Reuters estimates, drone attacks at the start of 2025 cost Russia around 10% of its refining capacity. Last year, drone strikes and repair difficulties pushed Russia’s oil refining volumes to a 12-year low of 267 million tons, while petroleum exports dropped 9% to 113.7 million tons.
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