Moscow Oil Refinery to Remain Closed for at Least Six Months Following Ukrainian Drone Attacks

June 11, Kathmandu – Due to continuous drone attacks by Ukraine, a major oil refinery in the southern part of Moscow will remain closed for at least six months. The refinery, operated by Gazprom Neft, was first attacked on June 16, damaging a distillation unit that accounts for 53 percent of the refinery’s capacity. A second attack on June 18 further damaged the modern ‘Euro Plus’ unit, which covers the remaining 47 percent of the capacity, according to industrial sources cited by Reuters on Wednesday.

Industry insiders familiar with the situation have indicated that repairing the damage at the Moscow refinery will take at least half a year. Reuters also reported that in 2024, this refinery processed 11.6 million metric tons of crude oil, producing 2.9 million tons of petrol and 3.2 million tons of diesel. Russian officials have yet to publicly comment on the damage to this Gazprom Neft-operated center. Since the spring of this year, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russian oil refining facilities and supply chains.

The drone strikes have led to significant reductions or halts in production at refineries that play a major role in Russia’s petrol output, prompting fuel rationing in some regions. Since the start of this year, the average price of petrol in Russia has increased by 6.6 percent. As of June 15, weekly price increases pushed the national average price to 69.11 rubles per liter. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak described the domestic fuel market situation on Tuesday as “challenging but under control.” He also mentioned ongoing discussions about imposing a full ban on diesel exports, following existing restrictions on petrol and jet fuel exports.