(MOSCOW) – Operations at the Ryazan oil refinery, one of Russia’s largest, have been suspended following a drone strike, with the shutdown expected to last up to two weeks, industry sources have told Reuters.
The facility halted processing on Wednesday after the attack, according to a source cited by the news agency. Refineries typically require time to resume production following an unscheduled stoppage, needing to restart primary and secondary processing units, stabilise technological processes and restore product specifications.
The Ryazan refinery’s infrastructure was previously damaged in a drone strike on 15 May, which also forced a temporary shutdown.
Despite the production halt, the plant continued to offer oil products for sale on the St Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange on Thursday. Exchange data showed lots of petrol and diesel fuel were listed for trading.
Industry data indicates the refinery processed 13.1 million metric tonnes of crude oil in 2024, accounting for approximately 4.9% of Russia’s total refining capacity. Last year it produced 2.2 million tonnes of petrol, 3.4 million tonnes of diesel and 4.3 million tonnes of fuel oil.
Ukrainian defence forces struck the Ryazan refinery overnight on 29 July, Ukrinform reported separately. According to the Financial Times, Ukraine’s long-range strikes have disabled 45% of Russia’s nominal oil refining capacity, triggering the country’s most severe fuel crisis since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.