The Russian oil refinery Orsknefteorgsintez suspended processing operations on August 11 after a fire broke out following an attack by Ukrainian drones in Orsk.
Industry sources told Reuters that the strike damaged several processing units across the facility. The plant is located in Orsk, a city in Russia's Orenburg Oblast near the border with Kazakhstan, approximately 1,900 kilometres from the border with Ukraine.
The Orsk refinery holds an annual design capacity of 5.76 million tonnes of crude oil, equivalent to roughly 115,200 barrels per day. Industry sources reported to Reuters that the facility processed 4.2 million tonnes of crude oil in 2024, producing 1.8 million tonnes of diesel fuel, 600,000 tonnes of gasoline, 500,000 tonnes of bitumen, and 200,000 tonnes of fuel oil.
Impact on Russian Refining Capacity
The attack forms part of a broader campaign of long-range Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian energy facilities. By the end of July, the Ukrainian campaign had taken offline more than 30 percent of Russia's actual refining capacity and 45 percent of its nominal refining capacity.
In response to mounting refinery disruptions across the country, the Russian government decided on July 30 to extend its ban on gasoline and diesel exports for an additional six months to protect domestic fuel supplies.
To compensate for domestic production shortfalls, Russia has relied heavily on external fuel supplies. Industry estimates provided to Reuters indicated that rail shipments of gasoline from Belarusian refineries into the Russian market grew 25-fold during the first seven months of 2026.
Shift in Ukrainian Strike Tactics
The Financial Times reported that Ukraine modified its long-range targeting strategy against Russian energy infrastructure. Rather than striking general refinery structures, Ukrainian forces have concentrated on hitting critical, high-value components that are difficult and time-consuming for operators to repair or replace.
Orsknefteorgsintez is one of the principal petroleum refining complexes in the southern Urals region. The plant processes crude oil into motor fuels and industrial products, including bitumen for road construction and heavy fuel oil used in power generation and marine transport.
