In the night of August 12, 2026, the Russian oil and gas sector suffered new losses. A major blow to infrastructure was delivered by Ukrainian drones to the Orsk Refinery (Orsknefteorgsintez). According to data received from industry sources, the enterprise has completely halted oil refining due to a fire and equipment damage.
Attack Details and Consequences for Production
The attack occurred on Tuesday, August 11. The Russian plant, located in the Orenburg region, is approximately 1,900 kilometers east of the border with Ukraine. This indicates a significant increase in the range of Ukrainian combat UAVs, allowing for precision strikes deep into the enemy's rear. According to sources, the drone hit damaged key raw material processing units at the plant, making it impossible to continue operations without extensive repairs.
Economic Scale of Losses
The Orsk Refinery is a medium-sized enterprise, but its shutdown is noticeable for the regional market. The plant's design capacity is 5.76 million tons per year (approximately 115,200 barrels per day). For comparison, in 2024, the plant processed 4.2 million tons of crude oil. The enterprise's products include 1.8 million tons of diesel fuel, 600,000 tons of gasoline, as well as significant volumes of bitumen and fuel oil. The owner of the enterprise is Forteinvest, which has currently refrained from official comments regarding the incident.
Series of Strikes on Refining Infrastructure
The incident in Orsk is not an isolated event. On the same night, August 11, Ukrainian drones attacked the Komsomolsk Refinery in the Khabarovsk Krai. This enterprise, located in the Far East, has a design capacity of 8.5 million tons of oil per year and is one of the key suppliers of petroleum products for this region. The combination of attacks in the Urals and Siberia points to a coordinated strategy to strike Russia's logistical hubs.
Contradictory Data
While the fact of the Orsk Refinery shutdown is confirmed by industry sources and international media (Reuters), there are no official comments from Russian authorities or the plant owner (Forteinvest). While the Ukrainian side officially confirmed the operation, Russian information sources limit themselves to reports of a fire, without going into details about the causes. Additionally, on the same day, a Wildberries logistics complex caught fire in the Novoosmannsky district of the Voronezh region. Witnesses reported explosions, however, the link between this incident and military actions has not yet been officially confirmed.
