Ukrainian drones knocked out Russia's Tyumen refinery on July 25, halting 151,000 barrels per day of output in the second strike on the plant in five weeks. The damage compounds a broader collapse in Russian fuel exports, which Vortexa data show falling to roughly 80,000 barrels per day in early August, down from more than 1 million bpd at the end of 2025.
Ukrainian drones struck the Tyumen oil refinery on July 25, sparking a fire that forced a complete shutdown of one of Russia's largest privately held refining facilities. The plant sits roughly 2,000 kilometers from Ukrainian territory and normally processes 151,000 barrels per day.
A second hit in five weeks
The strike knocked out a diesel hydrotreating unit with an annual throughput of 2.6 million metric tons and a high-octane gasoline production unit. Losing both at once cripples the refinery's ability to supply finished fuels to western Siberia and the broader Urals region. The facility was previously struck in late June, making this the second attack in roughly five weeks.
But the Tyumen strike fits a wider campaign. Facilities in Ufa, Salavat, and Omsk have also been targeted in June and July, and Ukrainian Special Operations Forces have publicly claimed responsibility, framing the strikes as a deliberate strategy rather than opportunistic attacks. According to President Zelenskyy: Russian oil revenue funds the war effort, so cutting that revenue degrades the war machine.
Diesel exports fall to a multiyear low
As a result, the cumulative damage to Russian refining is now visible in trade data. Russia's diesel and gasoil exports cratered to roughly 80,000 barrels per day in early August, according to Vortexa Ltd. data compiled by Bloomberg — the lowest level in several years and down from more than 1 million bpd at the end of 2025.
Yet the decline has been steady rather than sudden. Loadings sat at approximately 400,000 bpd in June and fell to around 234,000 bpd by early July, before the August drop to 80,000 bpd. That compares with a 2025 average of roughly 817,000 bpd.
Persistent Ukrainian drone strikes have reportedly halved Russia's refining capacity, forcing Moscow to impose or extend export restrictions on diesel and gasoline to keep domestic supply intact. Because of this, Russia's economy loses the export revenue it depends on even as it fights to preserve fuel for its own military and population.
The withdrawal of Russian barrels from international markets has widened crack spreads, the gap between crude oil prices and refined product prices. This reflects buyers pricing in constrained supply. Refiners in India, South Korea, and the Middle East stand to gain as customers seek alternative diesel sources.
Sources: Crypto Briefing, Crypto Briefing
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