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The Moscow Oil Refinery has suspended operations following a Ukrainian drone strike on June 16 that damaged a key crude oil processing unit, Reuters reported, citing industry sources.
According to the sources, the attack hit the refinery operated by Gazprom Neft in southeastern Moscow, damaging its primary crude distillation unit, which accounts for approximately 53% of the plant’s processing capacity, UATV English reports.
A second processing unit is expected to resume operations in the near future, the sources told Reuters.
Video footage verified by the news agency showed a large fire and thick black smoke rising from the facility following the strike.
Russian emergency services later claimed that the fire had been extinguished and that refinery operations were not affected. However, Reuters sources disputed those statements, saying the damage had forced the facility to halt operations.
The strike comes amid a broader Ukrainian campaign targeting Russia’s energy infrastructure.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, in coordination with the Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), reported carrying out a strike on the Moscow Oil Refinery.
The Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council also reported a surge in negative reactions on Russian social media following the attack, citing growing public concern over the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and fuel supplies.
