Russian Refining Resilience: Surviving Ukraine's Drone Attacks

Despite intensified drone strikes by Ukraine aimed at disrupting Russia's oil refineries, Russia's oil processing has seen only a 3% decline in 2025 by leveraging spare capacity. The attacks have led to reduced fuel exports, though Russia continues to maintain significant refining capabilities.

Russia's oil processing dropped by a mere 3% in 2025 despite significant drone strikes from Ukraine targeting refineries. These efforts affected Russia's fuel exports, but the country managed to mitigate damage by utilizing spare refining capacity.

The majority of strikes occurred in early 2025 and resumed in August, hitting 17 major refineries, leading Russia to cut fuel exports and bolster drone defenses. This resulted in about 20% of refining capacity going offline, although total refining volumes only fell by 6% year-on-year.

Sources report that Russian refineries were operating below full capacity and managed to restart and repair units swiftly. While maintenance challenges remain, Russia maintains substantial refining operations, though ongoing attacks and sanctions may pressure future resilience.

(With inputs from agencies.)