Ukraine Drone Strikes Taking a Toll on Russian Refining Capacity

October 2, 2025--Written by Jesse Broehl for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Ukraine has ramped up its drone attack capability and prioritized its attacks against Russian oil and gas infrastructure since that is Russia's primary source of revenue for its war effort and a key economic driver for its overall economy. The attacks are having the intended effect of shutting down Russian refining capacity, reducing production of gasoline and other fuels and products for both domestic and international supply. Crude distillation unplanned outages caused by drone attacks averaged 757,000 barrels per day (BBL/d) in August and 1.452 million BBL/d in September, an increase from previous levels, according to IIR Energy.