Andriy Kaut20:00, 20.05.26

Factories in Kirish, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, and Yaroslavl were affected.

Almost all major oil refineries in central Russia have been forced to halt or reduce fuel production after Ukrainian drone strikes in recent days, Reuters reported, citing sources.

The combined capacity of refineries that have been fully or partially shut down exceeds 83 million metric tons per year, or about 238,000 tons per day. This is about a quarter of Russia’s total refining capacity.

The total share of these refineries in fuel production for the Kremlin is more than 30% for gasoline and about 25% for diesel. Moscow has already imposed a ban on gasoline exports from April to the end of July.

According to posts by Russian officials on social media, Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, doubling the number of oil refineries targeted since the beginning of the year.

The strikes, which also hit oil pipelines and storage facilities, have reduced Russian oil production, putting pressure on the Kremlin’s federal budget, where taxes on oil and gas exports account for about a quarter of revenue.

Among the oil refineries targeted were Kirishi in western Russia, the Moscow Oil Refinery, as well as plants in Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, and Yaroslavl.

Thus, on May 20, the large oil refinery “Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez” (NORSI) with a capacity of 17 million tons per year was attacked. It remains unclear whether NORSI managed to maintain at least partial operation.

(C)UNIAN 2026