Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on Thursday that its forces successfully struck the TANECO oil refinery in Russia's Tatarstan region and the Tamanneftegaz oil terminal in the Krasnodar region. These attacks, carried out on Wednesday and overnight into Thursday, resulted in fires at both locations. The TANECO refinery, located in Nizhnekamsk, has a processing capacity of up to 16 million tons of crude oil annually and produces a wide range of petroleum products vital for the Russian military. This facility had also been targeted by Ukrainian forces on August 10, with a fire reported then as well.
The Tamanneftegaz oil terminal, described by the General Staff as a key Russian oil terminal in the Black Sea region, also experienced a fire, confirmed by NASA's FIRMS satellite monitoring system. This terminal was previously hit in June, sustaining damage to three oil storage tanks, a pipeline, and loading infrastructure. Additionally, the 500-kilovolt Taman electrical substation, which supplies power to Russian-occupied Crimea, was reportedly targeted in these recent strikes.
These strikes are part of Ukraine's broader strategy to target military and critical infrastructure deep within Russia, aiming to diminish Moscow's capacity to wage war and finance its military efforts. Ukraine has intensified its long-range attacks on Russian oil infrastructure in recent months, targeting refineries and other energy facilities. The ongoing campaign has contributed to significant fuel shortages across Russia, with gasoline sales on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange down an average of 20% since early August compared to the second half of July. Some regions have experienced petrol price increases of up to a third since the beginning of August.
The fuel crisis has prompted Russian authorities to implement restrictions, such as Gazprom Neft limiting gasoline purchases to 40 liters per customer at automated stations and 60 liters at conventional stations in Moscow. Rosneft has imposed a nationwide 30-liter limit, and Tatneft has restricted customers to 50 liters. These shortages are also impacting Russia’s wholesale market and creating wider industrial disruptions, including motor oil shortages due to refineries diverting aromatic hydrocarbons for lower-octane gasoline production, affecting the production of synthetic materials, rubber, and polymers.
