A Ukrainian drone struck Russia's third largest oil refinery on Tuesday about 1,300 km (800 miles) from the front lines, hitting a unit that processes about 155,000 barrels of crude per day though an industry source said it had caused no critical damage.
Russian officials said its jamming devices locked onto a Ukrainian drone near Tatneft's (TATN.MM), opens new tab Taneco refinery, which has an annual production capacity of more than 17 million tons (340,000 barrels per day).
Pictures from the scene indicated the drone hit the primary refining unit, CDU-7, at the refinery in Russia's highly industrialised Tatarstan region, though it did not appear to have caused serious damage.
The industry source, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the personnel was returning to the plant.
A fire broke out at the refinery but was extinguished within 20 minutes, the state news agency RIA said, adding that output had not been disrupted.
According to Reuters calculations, around 14% of Russia's refining capacity has been shut down by drone attacks. There is more demand for refined oil products than for Russian crude.
The attacks on Russian refineries - many deep inside the world's largest country - have raised concern in Washington about the potential for escalation with Russia.
The US has urged Ukraine to halt attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, warning that the drone strikes risk driving up global oil prices and provoking retaliation, according to three people familiar with the discussions.
The repeated warnings from Washington were delivered to senior officials at Ukraine’s state security service, the SBU, and its military intelligence directorate, known as the GUR, the people told the Financial Times.
@RuffsNickSocialist2mos2MO
Remember it’s a US election year. Sleepy Joe needs to keep gas prices low. That’s more important to him than a Ukrainian win. Think about that.
@SugaryWhitingForward2mos2MO
Cuts both ways. Biden is unable to deliver aid, so he cannot offer aid in return for a halt to strikes. On the other hand, the GOP could offer to unblock aid if Ukraine keeps hitting the refineries.
@AmiableBitternLibertarian2mos2MO
They’re not serious about beating Putin, only spending the money and enriching themselves
@GenerousTermiteRepublican2mos2MO
They need to hit the other 2 and keep hitting them. Harder. Russia is about the cut Ukraine off from the sea. This is how peace treaties are negotiated? lol
@GleefulPieDemocrat2mos2MO
Biden turning on Ukraine in 3...2...1
@R3publicanTruffleRepublican2mos2MO
Taking out Russian refineries doesn't affect the supply of crude to the oil market. Russia increased exports of its crude because its refining capacity went down. There's enough refining capacity in the world to substitute the Russian one. Biden might sleep well, if he's able to understand that crude oil and refined products are related, but different products.
Ukraine is doing the right thing by taking out Russian refineries which leads to a deficit of fuel in the domestic market, but not the world one.
@GleefulSausageDemocrat2mos2MO
Ukrainians took out ~600 th bpd of refining capacity in the European part of Russia, which has the largest domestic demand for the oil products, including from the army which wages war in Ukraine. This lost capacity is 10-11 of the Russia's total and 25-30% of the total in the European part of Russia.
The refineries in the East of Russia are not reachable by the Ukrainian drones and will keep exporting oil products. The impact on the world markets will hardly be noticeable while disruption of the domestic market is already becoming a headache for Kremlin.
I do hope Ukrainians will keep destroying Russian refineries- this is an efficient tool to undermine the military effort.
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
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