Ukrainian strikes cut Russian refining capacity by 30%
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Atlantic Council Africa Center
Ukraine resumed its drone strikes on Russian refineries on 30 October, after a pause in October under pressure from Washington. Nine of Russia’s 35 major refineries, including those in Ryazan and Yaroslavl, were hit in ten days, reducing refining capacity by about 30%, according to Reuters cited by the Atlantic Council.
Ukraine has struck nine of Russia’s 35 major refineries in ten days, including sites in Ryazan, Yaroslavl and the Volga region. These long-range strikes have cut Russia’s refining capacity by about 30%, according to Reuters, cited by the Atlantic Council. The new wave of strikes began on 30 October.
Several Russian regions have reported fuel shortages since early November, leading to petrol rationing. Similar restrictions were introduced in the summer of 2026, when a first phase of the Ukrainian air offensive caused, according to the think tank, the worst fuel crisis in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Attacks on the Russian energy sector had intensified in 2026, before being suspended in October under pressure from Washington, which was worried about rising global fuel prices. As the US midterm elections approached, President Donald Trump publicly asked Kyiv to stop. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had initially backed the idea of an energy ceasefire, provided it was bilateral. Faced with continued Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s civilian power grid, he said last week that Ukraine no longer felt bound by those commitments. According to him, Moscow "refused the de-escalation measures our partners were talking about".
The resumption comes as Russia and Ukraine resume Washington-backed talks on 10 November. On 8 November, a Russian strike left more than 600,000 people without electricity in Ukraine.
