Defense Forces Put 15 Of Russia's 38 Major Oil Refineries Out Of Operation In Late September Intelligence

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) According to Ukrinform, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) reported this on Facebook.

"Ukraine's long-range sanctions are dealing significant blows to Russia's oil refining sector. As of the end of September 2026, 15 of Russia's 38 major refineries had been put out of operation, while another 12 had reduced their output of petroleum products," the DIU said.

As a result, total refining volumes at these facilities fell by 55.4% compared with the beginning of the year.

The most difficult situation for Russia has developed in the Volga, Central and Southern Federal Districts, where shutdowns at oil refineries have affected the capacity of PJSC Slavneft-YANOS, Kirishinefteorgsintez LLC, Ryazan Oil Refining Company JSC, Gazprom Neft Moscow Refinery JSC, and Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez LLC.

Together, these facilities account for about 33% of Russia's total oil refining capacity.

Meanwhile, refineries in Russia's remote regions remain operational. These include Gazprom Neft Omsk Refinery JSC, Achinsk Refinery JSC, NefteKhimService LLC, Khabarovsk Refinery JSC, Mariysky Refinery LLC, and Vanino Refinery LLC.

In September this year, these facilities processed a total of 906,000 barrels of oil per day - 147,000 barrels more than at the beginning of the year. This means they accounted for about 24% of all oil refining in Russia.

The operation of these remote facilities allows the Kremlin to temporarily offset fuel shortages. However, the scope for such substitution is limited by the refineries' geographic locations. Deliveries of petroleum products are complicated by shortages of railway rolling stock and tanker trucks, the intelligence agency noted.

In addition, production at these refineries could decline in 2027 because maintenance work originally scheduled for this year has been postponed until then.

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"The seriousness of the situation is also reflected in the Kremlin's decision to restrict access to information on oil refining volumes. The relevant amendments are set out in Putin's Decree No. 686 of September 28. This makes independent monitoring of the sector impossible and creates conditions for the dissemination of unreliable data, including figures on diesel fuel production, to countries interested in purchasing Russian oil," the DIU emphasized.

Precision strikes by Ukraine's Defense Forces against facilities in Russia's oil industry have caused more than $23.2 billion in economic losses to Russia. This is almost equal to the sector's total revenue in 2025, which amounted to $26.6 billion.

At the same time, Russia is facing growing difficulties in repairing and maintaining damaged facilities because of international sanctions and the high cost of the necessary equipment. Replacing damaged equipment could cost more than $20 billion.

"Thus, despite attempts to redistribute the workload among the surviving facilities, Russia is unable to fully meet its domestic demand for petroleum products while also fulfilling its export commitments. Moreover, Russians have begun importing fuel from other countries through 'gray schemes' designed to circumvent international sanctions," the statement said.

As Ukrinform previously reported, Russian oil exports increased alongside a rise in domestic refinery output amid a temporary lull in Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil processing facilities.

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