A Ukrainian drone strike has halted operations at Russia’s largest oil refinery, adding pressure to fuel supplies as Moscow grapples with shortages, according to a Reuters report cited by Oilprice.com.
The report said Gazprom Neft’s 440,000-barrel-per-day Omsk refinery suspended operations after the attack damaged key processing units.
The strike set fire to the CDU-10 crude distillation unit, which accounts for about 38% of the refinery’s processing capacity.
A second major unit, CDU-11, was also shut down after damage to supporting infrastructure, although it could return to service sooner, the report said.
The refinery also stopped offering gasoline and diesel on Russia’s St. Petersburg commodity exchange.
The disruption comes after Russia imposed restrictions on gasoline and jet fuel exports in response to tightening domestic fuel supplies.
President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged supply challenges, holding meetings with oil executives and ordering closer government monitoring of the fuel market.
The strike is the latest in Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign targeting Russia’s energy infrastructure. Omsk, located in western Siberia, is thousands of kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
The disruption has also affected countries that depend on Russian fuel exports. Uzbekistan has reported jet fuel shortages that have disrupted some flights, while Kazakhstan has explored fuel imports from China to help safeguard supplies.
Reuters also reported last week that Russia was preparing to import jet fuel from Asia, an unusual move for one of the world’s largest oil producers.
Discover more from Energy News Africa
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.