Russian Oil Output Hit After Ukraine’s Drone Strike on Ryazan Refinery

Ukrainian unmanned systems targeted Rosneft’s Ryazan Oil Refining Company overnight, striking one of Russia’s largest refineries and disrupting a key hub of its fuel industry.

The Gaze reports this, referring to a statement made by Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.

The strike was carried out by the “Zhalo Ptakhiv” UAV unit of the 14th UAV Regiment, working in coordination with Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, military intelligence, and other defense branches. 

Social media footage showed flames rising from the refinery complex, while Russian officials acknowledged drone debris had damaged an industrial site.

The targeted installation was the ELOU-AVT-6 unit, essential for primary crude processing, which handles desalting, dehydration, and distillation into gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil. 

With an annual throughput of about 13.1 million tons (262,000 barrels per day), Ryazan accounts for roughly 5% of Russia’s refining capacity.

Local authorities claimed eight drones were intercepted overnight, but industry analysts warned the attack could deepen strains on Russia’s fuel supply. 

Last week, Moscow’s Ust-Luga oil terminal was already forced to halve operations after similar Ukrainian strikes on pipeline infrastructure.

The Ryazan strike follows a campaign of escalating Ukrainian drone operations against Russian energy facilities. In August alone, Kyiv’s drone forces carried out at least 17 successful attacks on refineries and depots, underscoring Ukraine’s growing ability to hit deep into Russian territory. 

As The Gaze reported earlier, Ukraine’s drone campaign against Russian oil refineries knocked out a sizeable portion of the country’s processing capacity, triggering gasoline shortages and record-high wholesale prices.