Ukraine Drones Spark Fire at Russian Refinery as Fuel Crisis Worsens
Ukraine’s forces struck the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl, Russia, early on Friday, with drones causing a fire at the facility, the Ukrainian General Staff said, as Ukraine continues to pound Russia’s refining infrastructure in a bid to worsen the Russian domestic fuel crisis. The Slavneft-YANOS refinery is one of Russia’s largest oil-refining enterprises and part of PJSC Slavneft. The…
On Friday morning, Ukrainian forces targeted the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery located in Yaroslavl, Russia, with drones, resulting in a fire at the facility, according to the Ukrainian General Staff. The Ukrainian army maintains that their fuels are currently being supplied to the Russian military. The Slavneft-YANOS refinery is one of Russia's largest oil-refining operations, with the ability to process approximately 15 million tons of oil annually, or around 300,000 barrels per day.
This refinery produces a variety of petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, fuel oil, bitumen, and lubricants.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in recent years, stating that the refinery's fuels are being utilized by the Russian army. The drone attack on the refinery is just one of several strikes Ukraine has carried out during the week, as their forces continue to target Russian energy infrastructure. Earlier this week, Ukrainian forces also attacked the 180,000-barrels-per-day Afipsky refinery in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar. The Afipsky refinery, owned by ForteInvest, has faced previous strikes by Ukrainian forces.
The most recent attack on the Afipsky refinery occurred last month, as Ukraine has recently stepped up its efforts to diminish domestic fuel supply in Russia. Fuel shortages have been plaguing Russia since the spring, when Ukraine intensified its drone assaults at Russian refineries, aiming to disrupt fuel supply to the front lines and the domestic Russian market.
These drone strikes, occasionally carried out deep within Russian territory, have become a nearly daily occurrence. Russia has been working diligently to alleviate the fuel crisis, which has led to rationing in many regions, gas stations running out of fuel in major cities, and long lines at gas stations.
The drone strikes on refineries, including those in far-off areas more than 1,000 miles from the Ukrainian border, have become a recurrent event. Charles Kennedy reported on these developments for Oilprice.com.
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