Ukrainian drone strikes have forced two Rosneft-owned refineries, Syzran and Saratov, to halt crude processing, removing roughly 290,000 barrels per day of Russian refining capacity. The simultaneous shutdown deepens an already tight domestic fuel supply situation as Moscow keeps export curbs in place.
Two major Russian oil refineries have stopped processing crude after Ukrainian drone attacks damaged their facilities. Rosneft's Saratov plant went offline on September 11 following a strike on September 8. The Syzran refinery followed on September 15, after drones hit its primary crude distillation unit, CDU-6.
The scale of the damage
That single unit, CDU-6, accounts for approximately 71% of Syzran's total processing capacity. Syzran's nameplate capacity runs around 8.5 million metric tons per year, or roughly 150,000 to 170,000 barrels per day. Saratov adds another 7 million metric tons annually, about 140,000 barrels per day. Together the two facilities represent nearly 290,000 barrels per day of refining capacity, marking one of the more significant disruptions to Russian energy infrastructure since the war began in 2022.
Repairs at Syzran are expected to take at least a month, assuming no further strikes complicate the work. The plant had already been hit in July 2026, an earlier attack that destabilized its output before the September strike delivered a more decisive blow. Ukraine's military has confirmed responsibility for the strikes, framing them as part of a strategy to degrade energy infrastructure supporting Russia's war effort.
Domestic fuel supply under pressure
Russia has already been grappling with fuel supply constraints, and the shutdowns are expected to make that worse. Moscow has maintained restrictions on exports of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel to keep enough refined product circulating at home. That leaves a system already running with limited margin to absorb the lost capacity.
The shutdowns also land against the backdrop of stalled talks over an energy-sector truce between Russia and Ukraine. Both sides have floated mutual restraint on targeting energy infrastructure, but the September strikes suggest those discussions have not translated into operational reality. The pace of attacks appears to have intensified through 2025 and into 2026.
Source: Crypto Briefing
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