Ukrainian drone strike halts Russian Yaroslavl refinery, disabling its largest processing unit
A Ukrainian drone strike on the Slavneft-Yaroslavnefteorgsintez (YANOS) refinery in Russia on Thursday halted crude oil processing after damaging the AVT-3 unit, the plant's largest primary processing facility. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published video footage of the strike, and gasoline produced at the plant was withdrawn from Russia's domestic commodity exchange the same day.
Key points
- YANOS halted crude oil processing on Thursday after a Ukrainian drone strike damaged the AVT-3 primary processing unit, Reuters reported, citing four industry sources.
- AVT-3 has a daily capacity of 17,140 tonnes, about 40% of the refinery's total processing capacity.
- A second major unit, AVT-4 (about 33% of capacity, 14,300 tonnes per day), was already offline for repairs after a strike on 28 August.
- Gasoline produced at the Yaroslavl refinery was no longer offered for sale on Russia's domestic commodity exchange on Thursday.
- YANOS, located roughly 250 km northeast of Moscow, has total annual capacity of about 15 million tonnes of crude (around 300,000 barrels per day) and is owned by Slavneft, jointly controlled by Rosneft and Gazprom Neft.
- In 2024 the plant processed 14.9 million tonnes of oil, producing 2.6 million tonnes of gasoline, 4.0 million tonnes of diesel and 4.7 million tonnes of fuel oil.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published video footage of drones hitting the YANOS industrial site and several aircraft at a Rostov airfield during the night of 16–17 September.
Why it matters
The strike knocked out AVT-3, YANOS's largest primary processing unit, which together with the already-offline AVT-4 removes about 73% of the plant's daily capacity from service at once. Yaroslavl is a major supplier of Russian gasoline, diesel and fuel oil, and the same-day withdrawal of its gasoline from the domestic exchange points to an immediate tightening of Russia's domestic fuel market. YANOS's ownership by Slavneft — jointly controlled by Rosneft and Gazprom Neft — links the disruption to two of Russia's largest state-linked energy companies.
What happened
A Ukrainian drone struck the Slavneft-Yaroslavnefteorgsintez (YANOS) refinery on Thursday, halting crude oil processing. The strike damaged the AVT-3 primary processing unit, which handles around 17,140 tonnes per day, or roughly 40% of the plant's total capacity. Reuters reported the halt, citing four industry sources. A second major unit, AVT-4, representing about 33% of capacity at 14,300 tonnes per day, was already under repair after a prior drone strike on 28 August. The same day, gasoline produced at the Yaroslavl refinery was withdrawn from Russia's domestic commodity exchange, according to market participants. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published video footage from the night of 16–17 September showing drones hitting the YANOS site and several aircraft at an airfield in Rostov, publicly confirming the attack. The refinery, located roughly 250 km northeast of Moscow, processed 14.9 million tonnes of oil in 2024 — 2.6 million tonnes of gasoline, 4.0 million tonnes of diesel and 4.7 million tonnes of fuel oil — and is owned by Slavneft, jointly controlled by Rosneft and Gazprom Neft.
Background
YANOS sits about 250 kilometres northeast of Moscow and is one of Russia's larger refineries, with total capacity of around 15 million tonnes of crude per year, equivalent to roughly 300,000 barrels per day. Three primary processing units handle most of the throughput: AVT-3 at 17,140 tonnes per day, AT-4 at 11,430 tonnes per day, and AVT-4 at 14,300 tonnes per day. In 2024 the plant processed 14.9 million tonnes of crude, yielding 2.6 million tonnes of gasoline, 4.0 million tonnes of diesel, and 4.7 million tonnes of fuel oil. The refinery is owned by Slavneft, which is jointly controlled by Rosneft and Gazprom Neft. The plant had already been hit by a drone strike on 28 August, which put AVT-4 out of service for repairs before the latest attack.