Ukraine’s General Staff has claimed that ongoing strikes against Russia have knocked out 45% of the Russian Federation’s oil refinery capacity.
In a weekly report posted on social media, the Ukrainian military said long-range strikes had led to shortages of higher-quality gasoline and diesel in Russia.
Putin Meeting with Modi in 2018 Creative Commons Image
Putin Meeting with Duma 2018 Creative Commons Photo
It comes just days after a major attack on Russia’s capital by Ukrainian forces.
Weekly Report
On Facebook, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted a weekly round-up detailing all strikes against Russia from Monday, 14th September to Sunday, 20th.
The update described how Ukrainian forces “struck a number of important enemy targets on the territory of the Russian Federation and the occupied territories of Ukraine.”
According to the report, the week began with a strike on the Syzran Oil Refinery in the Samara region of Russia overnight on Tuesday, 15th, with drones hitting the AVT-6 primary oil refinery unit and tank park.
On the same night, the Atlant Aero plant, which produces UAVs and other military components, was struck in Taganrog, Rostov.
The attacks on refineries continued throughout the week, with Slavneft-YANOS refinery in Yaroslavl struck on Thursday, the 17th.
Producing 15 million tons of oil per year, the plant’s AVT-3 primary oil refinery unit was damaged by the strikes.
Moscow Struck
The largest attack of the week took place on Sunday, with Ukraine firing hundreds of drones towards Moscow on the last day of Russia’s State Duma elections. The city’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, said more than 1,600 drones had been intercepted, 450 of which were aimed at Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also shared footage of the attack on social media.
“Our long-range responses had a very significant impact in the Moscow region last night,” he wrote. “One of Russia’s key oil industry facilities and the aggressor’s logistics facility were hit. These are billions of dollars that sustain the war machine. The systems used included FP-1, RZ-100, MICH-2000, Palianytsia, Vendetta, Liutyi, Bars, Flamingo, Sichen, and Pelican.”
Thanking individual divisions of the country’s armed forces, Zelensky added: “Moscow must end its brutal war and choose peace instead of building layered rings of air defense at the expense of other regions. Steps toward de-escalation are on the table – in energy and food security. What is needed is political will.”
Diesel Damaged
Ukraine’s General Staff said that as part of the attacks, the Gazpromneft-Moscow Refinery was damaged, with the AVT-6 and isomerization units struck.
“As of September 21, 2026, after the strike on the Moscow Refinery, more than 45% of the planned capacities of the Russian oil refinery were put out of commission,” it said. “As one of the consequences, the Russian Federation is facing a shortage of high-quality fuel. Among other things, there is a sharp decline in the production volumes of gasoline and diesel fuel of the Euro-5/K5 standard.”
Trump Wades In
U.S. President Donald Trump also noted the major disruption to Russian diesel refineries in a Truth Social post shortly after the strikes on Moscow.
“Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry [sic] due to its war with Ukraine. A large number of their diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission,” Trump said. “This ridiculous and never-ending war with Ukraine must be ended. The whole world suffers as 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, are being killed each month.”
The President has made diesel a focal point of his criticisms of the Russo-Ukrainian War in recent weeks. Speaking to reporters while attending the Irish Open at his golf course in Doonbeg, Co. Clare, Trump called on Zelensky to stop striking Russian diesel refineries.
“Mr. Zelensky has to do one thing; he has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia,” Trump said last week. “We spoke to Mr. Zelensky about it. There are plenty of other targets. Don’t hit diesel fuel. That’s hurting the world.”
The President faces internal battles at home as the cost of living rises ahead of November’s midterm elections. Diesel prices have risen since the start of the war in Iran, and ongoing Ukrainian attacks have created further worldwide shortages.
This, in turn, has raised living costs for Americans, with diesel prices reaching a record high of $6.27 a gallon on Tuesday.
Trump is due to meet with Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this week, where the two leaders are expected to discuss strikes on oil refineries.
About the Author: Shay Bottomley
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist. He has written for the Western Standard, Business Insider, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo.
