Ukrainian Drones Hit Key Refining Unit at Syzran Plant

Ukrainian drones struck the primary oil refining unit at the Syzran refinery in Russia, according to ASTRA, citing its sources.

The attack, which took place on the night of March 4, reportedly hit the AVT-6 unit—critical for the technological process of oil refining.

This unit is processing crude oil into gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and fuel oil distillates.

Such units are among the most expensive and vital components of refineries, because without them, further processing of raw materials is impossible.

Western sanctions have made their repair significantly more difficult and costly for Russia.

A similar drone strike in February damaged Gazprom’s Astrakhan gas processing plant, taking its key condensate processing unit offline for at least three months.

At that time, its main technological unit was put out of action—a condensate processing unit, the repair of which is estimated to take at least three months.

Analysts suggest the Syzran refinery may face a similar extended shutdown.

The Syzran refinery has been targeted several times. A previous drone strike on February 19 also hit the AVT-6 unit, sparking a fire.

Another attack in March 2024 led to a similar blaze.

Located 700 km from the Ukrainian border, the refinery processes 8.9 million tons of oil annually, producing gasoline, diesel, aviation kerosene, and bitumen.

The oil refinery in Syzran is owned by Rosneft.