Ukrainian Drones Hammer Major Russian Oil Refinery, Knocking Out Key Gasoline Unit

Ukrainian drones struck the Ryazan Oil Refinery in Russia overnight on September 6, hitting a key processing unit used in the production of high-octane gasoline components and triggering a fire at the facility.

Analysis of footage from the attack indicates that the drones targeted the refinery’s Izomalk-2-LIN-800 low-temperature isomerization unit. Videos published by the open-source monitoring channel Exilenova+ showed a fire burning inside the refinery complex following the strike.

The Izomalk-2 unit processes low-octane pentane-hexane fractions into high-octane components used to produce automotive gasoline, including fuel meeting Euro 5 environmental standards.

Ryazan regional governor Pavel Malkov confirmed that a fire had broken out at an industrial facility following the drone attack, without identifying the site.

“Debris caused a fire at one of the enterprises; according to preliminary information, there were no casualties. Emergency services are working at the scene,” Malkov said.

Other sections of the Ryazan refinery have also been hit repeatedly. Previous strikes targeted its ELOU-AVT-3, ELOU-AVT-6, and AVT-1 crude-processing units. Satellite imagery from August 3 indicated that two of the refinery’s four primary crude-processing units had been disabled.

The Ryazan Oil Refinery, owned by Russia’s Rosneft, is one of the country’s largest refining facilities, with an annual processing capacity of approximately 17 million tonnes of crude oil.

The facility produces gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and other petroleum products. Its infrastructure also includes hydrocracking, catalytic reforming, vacuum gas oil hydrotreatment, and other processing systems.

Earlier, Ukrainian forces struck Russian military infrastructure in the Bryansk region, hitting a radar station, an electronic warfare system, and a relay supporting a MESH communications network, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

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