Ukraine Doubles Strikes on Russian Oil Refineries, Disrupting Output in 2024
Escalation of Ukrainian Drone Attacks and Impact on Russian Oil Industry
May 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure, doubling the number of oil refineries targeted since the start of the year, according to information posted on social media by Russian officials.
The strikes, which have also hit pipelines and storage facilities, have reduced Russia's oil output - the world's third-largest after the U.S. and Saudi Arabia - adding pressure to Moscow's federal budget, where oil and gas taxes account for roughly a quarter of revenue.
Decline in Russian Oil Output
The Paris-based International Energy Agency said on Wednesday that Russia's crude output fell by 460,000 barrels per day in April from a year earlier to around 8.8 million bpd.
That is limiting Moscow's ability to take advantage of a surge in energy prices linked to the Iran war, and providing a boost to Ukraine as it struggles with waning U.S. support for a war now in its fifth year.
Major Plants Hit
Historical Context of Russian Oil Production
Russian oil production peaked in the late 1980s but collapsed after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union due to underinvestment. It recovered in the 2000s and 2010s reaching a post-Soviet high in 2019 just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since launching its campaign in Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has curtailed or stopped publishing several categories of sensitive data, including oil output.
Extent of Damage to Refineries
Reuters calculations show Ukrainian drone attacks knocked out about 700,000 bpd of refining capacity between January and May across 16 refineries, some hit more than once, compared with eight refineries in the same period of 2025.
Monthly Impact and Shutdowns
In March, the capacity of primary refining units hit reached nearly 1 million bpd and exceeded that level again in April.
Overall, since January, 35 primary distillation units with combined capacity of more than 390,000 metric tons per day, or 2.85 million bpd, have been forced offline due to drone damage or related disruptions.
That compares with 12 units with capacity of over 187,000 tons per day, or 1.37 million bpd, in January to May 2025.
Key Refineries and Repeated Strikes
Major plants in Kirishi in western Russia, Nizhny Novgorod on the Volga river, Perm in the Urals mountains and Tuapse on the Black Sea have been among those hit.
Including repeat strikes, more than 40 shutdowns of primary units linked to external impacts have been recorded this year, according to industry sources.
Decline in Oil Product Exports
The IEA said Russia's oil product exports fell by 340,000 bpd in April from March to 2.2 million bpd, the lowest level in its records.
(Reporting by Reuters. Editing by Mark Potter)
