Repeated Ukrainian drone attacks grind major Russian refinery to a halt

According to various estimates, the refinery processed about 3 million tons of oil in 2024. The attacks prevented it from operating at its full production capacity of 7.5 million tons.

The latest attack on the refinery was carried out by the Navy and the Security Service together with other components of the defense forces on Dec. 19.

It was a combined attack with drones that overwhelmed the enemy's air defense systems in the first stage, creating an opportunity for Ukrainian-made missiles to successfully hit the target, damaging and setting fire to the plant's catalytic cracking unit (CCU).

In a previous attack in June 2024, the refinery suffered significant damage, resulting in the loss of 1.5 million tons of oil and oil products worth about $540 million. It specializes in the production of fuel oil, heating oil, marine and diesel fuel, and straight-run gasoline and is used to meet the needs of the occupying army.

On Jan. 3, Russia's Yandex search engine was ordered by a court to remove maps and edit images of a major oil refinery from Yandex Maps due to drone attacks. While the specific refinery is not named, it was reportedly attacked four times in 2024 by alleged Ukrainian drones, resulting in "damage to infrastructure and injuries to employees."

The Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery has been targeted at least four times since Russia's full-scale invasion began, including three times in 2024.

Russia has 30 large and medium-sized refineries, not including several small plants, capable of processing 5.5 million barrels per day, making it one of the world's largest fuel exporters.