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Major Russian oil refinery suspends operations again after Ukrainian drone strike
The Kyiv Independent • • world
Key Points:
- Russia's Lukoil-Nizhegorodorgsintez refinery (NORSI), the country's fourth-largest and Lukoil's biggest refinery, has halted operations again following a Ukrainian drone strike on July 2, damaging its primary crude oil processing unit.
- The refinery, located in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, was previously shut down on June 24 due to a similar drone attack, disrupting its significant capacity which accounts for 53% of the plant's processing.
- Ukraine's military stated the attacks aim to reduce Russia's military and economic potential by targeting critical oil infrastructure, with NORSI being the fifth refinery to cease operations since early June.
- Other major Russian refineries affected include Volgograd, Kuibyshev, Taneco, and Moscow Oil Refinery, the latter expected to remain offline until at least 2027 due to repeated strikes.
- These attacks have intensified Russia's domestic fuel crisis, leading to export bans, price increases, and shortages, a situation acknowledged by President Putin amid ongoing challenges at gas stations nationwide.
