Lauge Risom Koch 
Ukraine’s Defense Forces have struck Russia’s five largest oil refineries in under two weeks, affecting nearly 30% of Moscow’s refining capacity.
Ukraine’s Defense Forces have struck all five of Russia’s largest oil refineries since October 30, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. As reported by United24 Media, the strikes targeted facilities that supply fuel to the Russian military and generate revenue for Moscow’s war effort. The targets include the Omsk, Kirishi, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Yaroslavl refineries.
On November 11, Ukrainian forces struck the Omsk Oil Refinery, Russia’s largest oil-processing facility, located roughly 2,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The strike triggered a fire at the plant, which has an annual processing capacity exceeding 21 million metric tons of crude oil and a refining depth of approximately 99%. According to the General Staff, the facility plays a key role in supplying fuel to Russian forces.
Ukrainian forces also attacked the smaller Novokuibyshevsk and Saratov refineries, which the General Staff described as important to Russian military operations. According to industry sources cited by Reuters on November 10, Ukrainian drone strikes since late October have affected facilities accounting for nearly 30% of Russia’s refining capacity.
Infrastructure damage halts refinery operations
Ukrainian military officials confirmed damage from earlier strikes on the Kirishi and Saratov refineries. On the night of November 9, Ukrainian forces hit the Kirishinefteorgsintez (KINEF) refinery in Russia’s Leningrad region. The plant processes roughly 20 million metric tons of crude oil annually, accounting for more than 6% of Russia’s refining capacity.
The strike on Kirishi damaged an atmospheric crude oil distillation unit—a primary oil-processing component—along with two cooling installations. The refinery produces petroleum products supplied directly to the Russian military.
Two days earlier, on November 7, Ukrainian forces struck the Saratov Oil Refinery, which has an annual capacity of roughly 7 million metric tons. The attack damaged the facility’s only primary crude oil distillation unit, AVT-6, as well as two fuel hydrotreatment units, pipelines, and a 10,000-cubic-meter storage tank, forcing the refinery to suspend operations.
Impact on military fuel supplies and state revenue
The General Staff stated that strikes on primary oil-processing units reduce fuel production for Russian forces and cut revenues used to finance the war. Taking these complexes offline creates supply bottlenecks for Russian units operating in Ukraine.
Beyond battlefield logistics, the campaign targets a core pillar of Russia’s export economy. Refining plants convert crude oil into higher-margin fuel products that fund state spending, and disabling them forces Moscow to export unrefined crude or curb production.
Repeated strikes on refineries far inside Russian territory underscore gaps in Russia’s air defense network. Hitting the Omsk plant in Siberia demonstrates that energy infrastructure thousands of kilometers from the border falls within reach of Ukrainian long-range drones.
