The Kuibyshev oil refinery, owned by Rosneft in Samara, Russia, has suspended operations at CDU-5, one of its key refining units, after a drone attack over the weekend, according to industry sources. The incident has resulted in the shutdown of half of the refinery’s capacity, impacting production at the facility. Regional Governor Dmitry Azarov confirmed reports of a fire at the refinery following a Ukrainian drone strike on Saturday morning, leading to the destruction of the primary oil refining unit. Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian oil infrastructure since the beginning of the year, targeting several large refineries in a bid to disrupt Russia’s military operations and territorial advances. The cumulative impact of Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries in the first quarter has resulted in the closure of approximately 4.6 million tons (370,500 barrels per day) of Russian oil refining capacity, equivalent to around 7% of the total capacity, exacerbating existing shutdowns due to maintenance and other factors. While the Novokuibyshevsky refinery in the region reportedly escaped damage from a simultaneous drone attack, CDU-5 at the Kuibyshev plant, with a daily production capacity of 9,500 metric tons, remains offline. The status of another key unit, CDU-4, with a production capacity of 10,500 tons per day, is yet to be confirmed. As Russia grapples with disruptions in its oil refining sector, Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov has affirmed that the country’s oil refining production forecast for 2024 remains stable, close to last year’s levels of around 5.5 million barrels per day.
Russia’s Kuibyshev Oil Refinery Halts Primary Unit Following Drone Attack