Moscow Oil Refinery has halted operations after Ukrainian drone attack, Reuters reports

What Happened

Reuters reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources, that Gazprom's Moscow Oil Refinery in Moscow's Kapotnya district halted crude oil processing after Ukrainian drones struck the facility on the night of 19–20 September. Both crude distillation units caught fire: the AVT-6 unit, with a capacity of 21,400 tonnes per day (53% of the facility's total), and the EURO+ combined oil processing unit, with a capacity of 18,800 tonnes per day (47%). The sources said repairs could take several weeks. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Sunday that an industrial facility at the oil refinery was damaged during the drone attack on the Russian capital.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The strike targets a critical node in Russian fuel logistics: the refinery supplies about 40% of Moscow's fuel market and 70% of the Moscow region's demand for petrol and aviation gas. Halting operations for several weeks could strain fuel supply to Russia's capital region and potentially affect military logistics, part of Ukraine's campaign to degrade Russian energy infrastructure supporting the war effort.

Watch For

In the coming weeks, monitor whether repairs are completed and crude processing resumes, any official statements from the Russian Ministry of Defence or energy authorities on the damage, further Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, and any impact on fuel availability or prices in the Moscow region.