Operations at Russia’s largest oil refinery stopped after a precision drone strike on Monday. The plant is at Omsk, in western Siberia, and belongs to Gazprom Neft.
The mechanics matter here. Industry sources told Azat.tv the attack started a fire at the CDU-10 crude distillation unit, which handles approximately 38% of the plant’s production capacity. A second primary unit, CDU-11, also went offline, because of damage to essential network infrastructure. Two units down at once leaves the refinery with far less than its normal output.
The money side showed up fast. The St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange reported that the refinery stopped selling gasoline and diesel right after the incident.
Moscow confirmed the damage, though without a repair date. Anatoly Seryshev, the presidential representative in Siberia, said on Tuesday that restoration work is under way. He gave no timeline for a return to full capacity.
Kyiv claims the reach
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the attack in his evening address on Monday. He credited “upgraded Fire Point drones” and claimed they have put targets in Siberia within reach of Ukrainian forces.
The refinery sits nearly 2,500 kilometers from Ukrainian territory. The strike also fell on the eve of a NATO summit in Ankara, where leaders are expected to discuss the war. It followed a series of recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, which Azat.tv says are aimed at draining the Kremlin’s finances.
Omsk processed 22 million tons of oil in 2024. With two main units out, the plant has to rely on alternative, less efficient equipment. The catch for Moscow is that the longer-term effect on domestic fuel supply is still a point of concern, as the country tries to keep its industrial and military operations running.
