Moscow refinery halts operations after Ukrainian drone strike

A major oil refinery in southeastern Moscow has halted processing operations following a Ukrainian drone strike over the weekend, industry sources, quoted by Reuters, said on Tuesday, May 19.

The attack, which Ukraine claimed responsibility for, occurred on Sunday, May 18. Although the strike caused only limited physical damage to the facility, operations were suspended as a precautionary measure to mitigate potential risks. Sources indicated that restarting the refinery could take several days.

Local authorities reported that a drone crashed near the plant. Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that injuries were recorded as a result of the incident.

"According to preliminary data, twelve people were injured in the strike, mostly construction workers near the plant's entrance gate. The refinery's core technology remains intact," Sobyanin said on Sunday.

The refinery plays a key role in supplying fuel to Russia’s capital. It is owned by Gazprom Neft, which did not respond to requests for comment.

According to industry sources, the facility processed 11.6 million metric tons of crude oil in 2024. Its output included 2.9 million tons of gasoline, 3.2 million tons of diesel fuel, and 1.3 million tons of bitumen.

By Tamilla Hasanova