Repairs at the Moscow oil refinery in Kapotnya will take at least six months. Two sources told Reuters this, and the agency says the prolonged shutdown could further worsen Russia’s fuel shortage.
The Moscow refinery is considered one of the country’s largest oil-processing facilities. Its capacity is estimated at 11 million tonnes of oil per year. Before the shutdown triggered by the Ukrainian attacks, it was the main fuel supplier for the Moscow region, Reuters wrote.
June attacks
According to the agency, Ukrainian drones attacked the Moscow refinery twice, on June 16 and June 18. After the first strike, the plant halted operations. Reuters described the attack on Moscow on June 18 as the largest since the start of the war.
Earlier, the outlets Vazhnye Istorii and Astra reported that the refinery had been hit by drones and possibly by a Russian air-defense missile.
Impact on the fuel market
Against the backdrop of strikes on Russian refineries, production of petroleum products in the country has declined. Reuters said that during the week of June 15 to June 21, daily output was 25% lower than in the same period last year.
According to the agency, authorities in at least 13 regions have officially introduced fuel sales limits. In another eight regions, officials acknowledged shortages, queues at filling stations, or supply disruptions. Major retail chains have also imposed limits at gas stations across the country, while fuel sales in annexed Crimea and Sevastopol have effectively been halted.