Russia’s Syzran refinery goes offline after repeat Ukrainian drone strikes

Russia’s Syzran oil refinery on the Volga River halted operations on 5 December after a Ukrainian drone strike damaged its crude distillation unit, two industry sources told Reuters.

Ukraine has been systematically targeting Russian oil refineries throughout 2025 as part of a broader campaign to weaken Moscow’s war effort. By striking key energy infrastructure, Kyiv aims to disrupt fuel supplies for Russian military operations, reduce export revenues, and put economic pressure on the Kremlin. 

Same equipment hit in August - repairs could take a month

The refinery, owned by Rosneft, had already been targeted in August, when drone attacks forced two weeks of repairs to the same equipment. 

Sources said the latest damage could take about a month to fix. Last year, the plant processed roughly 90,000 barrels per day, producing 800,000 tons of gasoline, 1.5 million tons of diesel, and 700,000 tons of fuel oil.

The Ukrainian military said it carried out long-range strikes on the Syzran refinery and the Temryuk port in Krasnodar on 5 December.