Ukrainian drone strike halts Moscow oil refinery operations

A Ukrainian drone strike has triggered a fire and forced a partial shutdown at a major oil refinery in Moscow, according to industry sources, in what appears to be one of the most significant attacks yet on Russia’s fuel infrastructure.

The facility, operated by Gazprom Neft, is the largest supplier of fuel to the Moscow region. Two industry sources told Reuters that the strike damaged a primary refining unit responsible for around 53% of the plant’s capacity, leading to a halt in operations.

Witness footage verified by Reuters showed a large blaze and thick black smoke rising from the site in south-east Moscow following the attack on Tuesday.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said a facility at the site had been damaged, though he provided no further details. Local emergency services later said the fire had been extinguished and claimed it had not affected operations. However, industry sources contradicted this account, saying production had been halted.

A second processing unit is expected to resume operations soon, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The refinery has been targeted on multiple occasions since the start of the war.

By Aghakazim Guliyev