Russia resumes attacks on Ukraine's sunoil refineries, hits Bunge plant

Russia Resumes Strikes on Ukraine Sunoil Refineries, Bunge Plant Damaged

Impact of Russian Strikes on Ukraine's Sunflower Oil Industry

Recent Attacks on Oilseed Processing Plants

Sept 10 (Reuters) - Russia has resumed attacks on oilseed processing plants critical to Ukraine's exports, striking a major facility in the eastern city of Dnipro on Thursday owned by global agribusiness and food company Bunge, local officials said.

Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said that two people had been killed and five injured in two Russian attacks that damaged a food business in the city, without naming Bunge.

"As a result of the morning attacks in Dnipro on September 10, a section of our Dnipro facility was impacted," a Bunge spokesperson said in a statement. "No employees were injured. We will continue to monitor and assess the situation."

Ukraine's Sunflower Oil Export Significance

Before the war with Russia, Ukraine was the world's largest exporter of sunflower oil, shipping 5 million to 6 million metric tons a year.

The Dnipro plant is among Ukraine's five largest and can process 1,600 tons of oilseeds per day.

According to government figures, revenue from vegetable oil exports in 2025 amounted to $5.2 billion versus $7 billion in 2021.

History of Attacks on Refineries and Terminals

Over the past year and a half, Russia has attacked Ukrainian oilseed refineries and vegetable oil terminals four times, including a strike on the Bunge facility in Dnipro in January 2026.

Impact on Major Producers: Allseeds Case

One of Ukraine's biggest vegetable oil producers, Allseeds, said in July it was halting operations in Ukraine's southern Odesa region due to intensifying Russian attacks on port infrastructure. The facility that it closed had the capacity to process 2,400 tons of sunflower seeds per day.

Allseeds' export terminal was hit in December 2025.

Future Outlook for Sunoil Production and Exports

Ukraine is likely to increase its sunoil output to 5.8 million tons in 2026/27 from 4.4 million tons in 2025/26 thanks to a sharp increase in the sunflower seed harvest, analyst APK-Inform said.

The consultancy forecast that Ukraine can export 5.38 million tons of sunoil in 2026/27 against 4.47 million tons in 2025/26.

Reporting and Sources

(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk, Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; additional reporting by Gus Trompiz in Paris; Editing by Louise Heavens, Elaine Hardcastle)