Ukraine says its drones put 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity out of action in September
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (СБС) reported on October 5 that its units struck at least 16 targets on Russian territory in September, including oil refineries in Moscow, Yaroslavl, Perm, Saratov, Syzran, Ryazan and Ilysky, plus sites in Novorossiysk, Makhachkala, Togliatti and Voronezh. Ukraine's Defense Ministry claimed the strikes put more than 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity out of service, an assessment that could not be independently verified. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged at the Valdai Club forum that the strikes had cost Russia roughly 1% of GDP, though he said they only partially achieved their stated goal.
Key points
- Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces reported on October 5 that its units hit at least 16 targets on Russian territory in September.
- Targets included oil refineries, petrochemical facilities, seaports, a military base, and aviation and radar sites, at distances from hundreds to over 1,000 km from the border.
- Operators from the 1st Separate Center, the 412th Brigade NEMESIS, the 413th Regiment Raid, and the 414th Brigade Ptakhy Madyara took part in the operations.
- Refineries reported hit include TANEKO, Moscow, Perm, Saratov, Ryazan, Yaroslavl, Ilysky and Syzran, with the Perm, Moscow and Saratov facilities confirmed halted in September.
- Ukraine's Defense Ministry claimed more than 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity was taken out of service; the figure could not be independently verified.
- Putin said the strikes cost Russia roughly 1% of GDP but only partially achieved their stated economic goal, in remarks at the Valdai Club forum.
Why it matters
If Ukraine's 51% figure is accurate, the September campaign represents a major blow to a sector that is central to Russia's state revenues and its ability to supply its domestic fuel market. Russia's own concession that the strikes cost it roughly 1% of GDP is a rare acknowledgment of wartime economic damage by the Kremlin and suggests the long-range drone campaign is having measurable effects. Strikes on energy infrastructure also extend the war's reach far beyond the roughly 1,200-kilometer front line.
What happened
The Unmanned Systems Forces (СБС) reported on October 5 that operators from the 1st Separate Center, the 412th Separate Brigade NEMESIS, the 413th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment Raid, and the 414th Separate Brigade of Unmanned Systems Ptakhy Madyara struck at least 16 objects on Russian territory during September. Targets included oil refineries, petrochemical enterprises, seaports, a military base, and aviation and radar objects, at distances ranging from hundreds to over 1,000 kilometers from the border. The named refineries hit include TANEKO, Moscow, Perm, Saratov, Ryazan, Yaroslavl, Ilysky and Syzran; additional targets were located in Novorossiysk, Makhachkala, Togliatti and Voronezh. The Perm refinery, Russia's seventh-largest by volume, halted operations after a Ukrainian drone attack on September 25; the Moscow refinery, owned by Gazprom Neft, suspended crude processing on September 21 after fires broke out on its primary distillation units; the Syzran refinery was halted on September 15, with the CDU-6 crude unit of 17,100 metric tons per day damaged; and the Saratov refinery was halted on September 11 after earlier strikes in August and earlier in September. Ukraine's Defense Ministry stated that the long-range strikes took more than 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity out of service in September, an assessment that the ministry said was produced jointly by intelligence analysts, the General Staff and the Defense Ministry and that could not be independently verified.
Where reporting differs
Ukraine's Defense Ministry says more than 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity was put out of service by September strikes, a figure the ministry attributes to a joint assessment by its intelligence services, the General Staff and the Defense Ministry, but which could not be independently verified. President Putin has acknowledged a real economic cost, putting it at roughly 1% of GDP, while saying the strikes only partially achieved their stated goal — a notably smaller figure than Ukraine's 51% capacity claim and a framing that does not address the refining-capacity assessment directly.
Background
The named target cities for the broader Ukrainian strike campaign on Russian energy infrastructure include Moscow, Yaroslavl, Ust-Luga, Perm, Saratov and Syzran. Earlier in 2025, Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries contributed to a fuel crisis inside Russia that prompted authorities to restrict gasoline sales. The front line in the Russia-Ukraine war extends approximately 1,200 kilometers (750 miles), a distance that underscores the scale of the long-range drone campaign behind the September strikes.