Why did the Saratov refinery halt operations?

The refinery completely stopped oil processing after its only primary processing unit, AVT-6, was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack on August 2, 2026.

Which other Russian refineries have been recently affected?

In early August, the Volgograd refinery also ceased operations, and during July 2026, attacks halted work at eight refineries, including the largest in Omsk and facilities in Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod.

What is the capacity of the Saratov refinery?

The refinery has a processing capacity of 7 million tons of oil annually, producing over a million tons of gasoline and nearly two million tons of diesel.

World

Rosneft's Saratov Refinery Completely Halts Operations After Drone Attack

S.V. · Prije 2h | 2 min

Russia's oil industry faces new disruptions: following Volgograd, the Saratov refinery has suspended processing, and repairs could take weeks.

Summary

Rosneft's Saratov refinery completely halted operations after a Ukrainian drone attack on August 2, 2026.
Repairs to the only primary processing unit, AVT-6, could take two to three weeks.
This is the second major Russian refinery to halt in August, following the suspension of production in Volgograd a day later.
During July, drone attacks halted operations at eight Russian refineries, and some have not recovered even after a year.

The oil refinery in the Russian city of Saratov, owned by state energy company Rosneft, has completely halted oil processing. The shutdown occurred after a Ukrainian drone attack on August 2, 2026, damaged production facilities and caused fires, reported the independent media outlet The Moscow Times, based in Amsterdam.

The refinery's only primary crude distillation unit, AVT-6, has been offline since the attack. According to estimates cited by Reuters, restoring the facility could take between two and three weeks. Following the halt, the refinery stopped selling fuel on the St. Petersburg exchange.

Significant Blow to Russian Fuel Production

The Saratov refinery has an annual processing capacity of 7 million tons of crude oil. It produces over a million tons of gasoline and nearly two million tons of diesel fuel annually. Its closure represents a significant loss to the supply of the Russian market.

This is already the second major Russian refinery to cease operations since the beginning of August. Just a day after the attack on Saratov, on August 3, production at the Volgograd refinery, owned by Lukoil, was also suspended. That refinery, one of the ten largest in Russia, accounts for about 5% of Russia's total oil refining capacity.

Wave of Attacks on Russian Energy Infrastructure

These incidents are part of a broader trend of attacks on Russian energy facilities. During July 2026, drone attacks halted operations at as many as eight refineries across the country. Among those affected were some key facilities, including Russia's largest refinery in Omsk, as well as plants in Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod.

According to a report by the Financial Times from late July, some of these refineries had not fully recovered even a year after being first hit by Ukrainian attacks. This series of damages highlights the growing challenges facing Russia's energy sector amid continued attacks on its infrastructure.