- Category
- War in Ukraine
Moscow Refinery Forced Into Complete Shutdown After Ukraine Sanction Strikes
Prefer U24 Media on Google
- Authors
![Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko]( "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
Moscow’s primary oil processing facility suspended crude operations after Ukraine’s drone strikes triggered blazes across its primary distillation units on September 20, as reported by Reuters.
Three industry sources confirmed that the plant, owned by Gazprom Neft, completely halted processing following retaliatory long-range strikes carried out in response to ongoing Russian attacks against Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
The facility’s main processing infrastructure suffered severe impact during the strike. The AVT-6 unit, which accounts for 53% of total refining capacity with an output of 21,400 metric tons per day, caught fire alongside the EURO+ combined crude processing unit, which handles the remaining 47% or 18,800 metric tons per day.
Industry insiders told Reuters that repairing the damage and bringing the facilities back online could take several weeks.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed via Telegram that an industrial structure on the refinery’s grounds sustained damage during an early-morning drone raid over the capital city.
Reuters reports that emergency teams worked to contain the fallout from the strike across both primary installations. Furthermore, fuel produced at the site was removed from trading on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange on September 21.
-e29925be9ebc1a8f717a4acbc6580b6c.png)
In 2024, the plant refined 11.6 million metric tons of crude oil—approximately 230,000 barrels per day. Its total output included 2.9 million metric tons of gasoline, 3.2 million metric tons of diesel, and 1.3 million metric tons of bitumen.
Ukrainian retaliatory strikes on Russian oil refineries, culminating in an attack on the Gazpromneft-Moscow Oil Refinery, had disabled more than 45% of Russia’s design refining capacity, according to Ukraine’s General Staff on September 21.
The figure appeared in a General Staff summary of strikes carried out between September 14 and 20 against military and economic targets inside Russia and in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.
The General Staff framed the campaign as an exercise of Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, aimed at reducing Russia’s military and economic potential.
Discuss this article:
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
