Ukrainian drones carried out at least 81 attacks on refineries and fuel depots located on Russian territory or in annexed Crimea last year, according to the Russian service of BBC*. Since spring, the main focus has shifted to facilities used for supplying military equipment, although previously the targets were more often plants supplying fuel to the domestic market. However, in the second half of the year, the frequency of such attacks noticeably decreased, which may be related to the position of the USA.
Oil facilities in the southern regions of Russia are more frequently targeted. According to BBC calculations, about 20% of all attacks occurred in the Krasnodar region, eight in the Rostov region, six in the Belgorod region, and five each in the Oryol and Volgograd regions. In at least 64 cases, the attacks resulted in fires.
One of the largest incidents occurred before the New Year — drones attacked the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, the only one in the Rostov region. Ukrainian authorities believe that this refinery supplied fuel for Russian tanks, armored vehicles, and aviation and "its proximity to the Ukrainian border was important for Russian war logistics." The plant suspended operations three times last year after drone attacks.
In December, there were also at least three attacks on infrastructure related to the Druzhba main oil pipeline — its southern branch is the only authorized route for supplying Russian oil to the EU.
Repairing damage to refineries considering sanctions has proven quite difficult. The timelines for unscheduled repairs become unpredictable, resulting in a reduction in the production of petroleum products.
According to Reuters, drone attacks and sanctions led to the downtime of capacities amounting to 41.1 million tons — this is more than 12% of their total volume in Russia. The volume of oil processing in 2024 fell to its lowest level in 12 years.
* Recognized in Russia as a "foreign agent".