12 refineries and 2 russian defense industry enterprises hit: results of deep strike operations in August
In August, Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign against russia reached targets more than 1,500 km from the state border, hitting critical nodes of the enemy’s war machine. The Defence Forces of Ukraine hit 12 major oil refineries, gas and petrochemical facilities, and enemy defense industry enterprises.
Deep-strike operations against russia are particularly important for undermining the enemy’s economy, reducing its defense-industrial capabilities, and creating a cognitive effect. All of this is necessary to make the cost of waging war unacceptable to the enemy.
Therefore, at the President’s direction, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine are systematically working to bring the war onto russian territory.
Ukraine systematically strikes not only military targets, but also the entire supply chain supporting russia’s aggression. Targets range from facilities producing fuel and raw materials to those involved in weapons production, storage, protection, and delivery.
In August, the targets hit included:
- 12 major oil refineries;
- 2 gas processing and petrochemical enterprises;
- 3 major fuel terminals and oil depots;
- 2 key defense industry enterprises, with 6 workshops destroyed or damaged.
Long-range strike capabilities also targeted several russian military airfields and other logistics facilities.
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine highlights the most significant long-range strikes of the past month that increased the cost of waging war for russia.
Strikes on russia’s oil and fuel infrastructure
In August, at least 12 major russian oil refineries were hit, with a combined design capacity of approximately 100 million tonnes of petroleum products per year.
Key facilities targeted included:
- LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez, ~800 km from the state border;
- Syzran Refinery, ~800 km;
- Kirishi Refinery, ~450 km;
- TANECO, ~1,200 km;
- Slavneft-YANOS, ~700 km;
- LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez, ~1,500 km;
- Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, ~1,000 km;
- Saratov Refinery, ~700 km;
- Bashneft-Novoil, ~1,400 km;
- Ilsky Refinery, ~400 km;
- Afipsky Refinery, ~400 km;
- Orsknefteorgsintez, ~1,500 km.
The strikes focused on the most vulnerable refinery process units, including those used for primary processing, secondary distillation, hydrocracking, and catalytic reforming.
Long-range strikes on russia’s gas and petrochemical industries in August
Strikes on raw-material infrastructure create shortages of specific components, directly affecting weapons production.
The facilities hit included:
- Tobolsk-Neftekhim (central gas fractionation unit with a capacity of 6.6 million tonnes of feedstock per year), ~1,900 km;
- Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant (two U-272 gas separation units), ~1,200 km.
Their products are essential for the production of rocket and aviation fuels, explosives, composite materials, and components for unmanned aerial vehicles.
Destroying russia’s fuel logistics
Strikes on Tamanneftegaz (annual handling capacity of up to 19.9 million tonnes of petroleum products and liquefied gas, ~500 km), the Yeysk oil terminal complex (over 1 million tonnes loaded onto maritime transport, ~500 km), and the Lyudinovskaya oil depot (~500 km) have an impact beyond the individual facilities themselves, reducing russia’s overall ability to store and transport the fuel needed to wage war.
Strikes on russia’s military-industrial complex
Two workshops were completely destroyed and another 4 significantly damaged at the Kamensky Combine (~500 km), which produces solid rocket propellant for Uragan, Smerch, and Tornado-S multiple launch rocket systems and air-launched weapons.
The Progress Rocket Space Centre in Samara (~1,000 km), which supports russia’s constellation of military satellites, was also hit, directly affecting the enemy’s intelligence capabilities.
August’s deep-strike operations against russia are another step toward increasing the cost of waging war for russia. The aggressor must and will pay a high price for its actions.
As previously reported, the Defence Procurement Agency DOT launched its first tender to procure deep-strike UAVs based on technical and tactical specifications provided by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.
