Moscow Oil Refinery Halts Operations After Ukrainian Drone Attack
The Gazprom-owned Moscow Oil Refinery has stopped processing crude oil after a Ukrainian drone attack on 20 September set both main processing units on fire. Repairs and resumption of operations could take several weeks, Reuters reports.
The Moscow Oil Refinery, owned by Russian energy giant Gazprom, has halted crude oil processing following a Ukrainian drone attack on 20 September, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Sources told the agency on Monday that both of the refinery's crude oil distillation units caught fire after drones struck the facility. Repairs and the resumption of operations are expected to take several weeks.
Damaged units
The refinery's AVT-6 unit has a processing capacity of 21,400 tonnes per day, representing 53% of the facility's total output, while the EURO+ combined processing unit accounts for the remaining 47%, with a capacity of 18,800 tonnes per day.
According to the sources, the refinery processed 11.6 million tonnes of crude oil in 2024 — roughly 230,000 barrels per day — producing 2.9 million tonnes of petrol, 3.2 million tonnes of diesel fuel and 1.3 million tonnes of bitumen.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed on Sunday that an industrial facility at the refinery had sustained damage during the drone attack.
About the refinery
Located in Moscow's Kapotnya district, the Moscow Oil Refinery is one of Russia's largest, with an annual refining capacity of 11 million tonnes. It supplies about 40% of Moscow's fuel market and 70% of the Moscow region's demand for petrol and aviation fuel.
The attack came during a large-scale Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow and Moscow Oblast overnight on 19-20 September, which also sparked a major fire at the Sofyino logistics technopark.
