Ukraine launched an overnight drone strike on the Yaroslavl refinery, damaging a major processing site northeast of Moscow just as Russia is weighing whether to extend its diesel export ban through the end of October.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack on the 300,000-barrels-per-day refinery in Yaroslavl was carried out in a joint operation involving the Security Service of Ukraine, the Unmanned Systems Forces, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, and the Foreign Intelligence Service. He also shared video showing the refinery on fire.
Mikhail Yevrayev, governor of the Yaroslavl region, said on Telegram that the refinery was damaged in the overnight drone attack. He added that the fire sparked at the site had been extinguished by Thursday morning.
The refinery is co-owned by Rosneft and Gazprom Neft. According to the report, the latest attacks by both sides indicate there is no partial truce in place to spare energy infrastructure. At the same time, Russia struck infrastructure in Kyiv.
The attack came as Russian daily Vedomosti reported earlier this week that the government plans to extend its ban on diesel exports for all fuel producers until October 31. The paper said the move is linked to delayed refinery maintenance and the need to rebuild fuel reserves ahead of winter.
The diesel export ban, broadened in July from traders and small refineries to all producers, had been set to expire on September 30.
Russia has faced a gasoline and diesel crunch since the spring, when Ukraine stepped up drone attacks on Russian refineries in an effort to disrupt fuel supplies both to the front lines and to the domestic market. The report added that Russia’s diesel export restrictions, combined with the Middle East crisis, are further tightening global middle distillate markets.
