Defence Ministry: Ukraine has knocked out over 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity

The headline figure

Ukraine’s security and defence forces have knocked out more than 51% of Russia’s oil refining capacity, the Defence Ministry said on 4 October, citing Minister Yevhenii Khmara, as reported by Ukrinform.

“Intelligence, analysts of the General Staff and the Ministry of Defence have assessed the consequences of recent long-range strikes by the Security and Defence Forces. More than half of the enemy’s capacity has been put out of action,” Khmara said. He called it the result of “planned and systematic actions” aimed at destroying Russia’s military-economic potential.

Which refineries are mentioned

The ministry recalled that the Moscow, Yaroslavl, Perm, Ilsky, Saratov and Syzran refineries, as well as Kirishinefteorgsintez and the refinery in Ust-Luga, had recently been hit. It noted that the effects of such operations are not always visible immediately, but they accumulate.

“51% of refining capacity hit is a significant blow to the enemy’s economy, its ability to wage aggression and to supply its troops,” the minister stressed. Long-range strike drones are one of the ministry’s priorities: this year, according to the ministry, Ukraine has tripled their production and procurement and plans to scale up deep-strike capabilities further.

“Crimean Switch Off”

Separately, the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, said that as part of an operation codenamed “Crimean Switch Off”, his units had hit 456 energy facilities in Russian-occupied territories and in Russia itself over three months.

In just ten days, he said, strikes hit 44 energy facilities in occupied parts of Ukraine: 17 in Crimea, 14 in the Donetsk region, six in the Zaporizhzhia region, five in the Luhansk region and one each in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. Named targets include the Zasiadko, Pivnichna and Smolianka substations in occupied Donetsk, the 330-kV Chaikino substation in Makiivka, a number of 35-kV substations in Crimea and the 330-kV Pershokostiantynivka substation in the occupied part of the Kherson region. Ukrinform had earlier reported that electricity consumption was restricted in occupied Crimea after drones damaged energy facilities.

The full ten-day list

Brovdi also named other targets: the 110-kV Poshtovyi GPP-1 and DE-09 substations in occupied Donetsk and, in Crimea, the 35-kV Chornomorske, Medvedeve, Krasnosilska, Berezivka, Slovianske, Kumove, Shturm Perekopu, Mykhailivka, Voinka and Vyshneva substations. The overall total — 456 facilities in three months — also includes targets inside Russia, but he did not list them in this post.

What to keep in mind

Both assessments are claims by the Ukrainian side; the share of capacity knocked out cannot be independently verified from open data. “Put out of action” does not always mean total destruction: some units can take weeks or months to repair, others less. At the same time, the ministry explicitly points to a cumulative effect, with repeated strikes preventing plants from recovering.

Context

The statements came days after President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to step up strikes on Russian refineries in response to Russia’s new tactic of massive attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure. Kyiv stresses that it responds with strikes on facilities linked to the war economy, not on residential areas.

Why it matters

Refining is a source of fuel for Russia’s army and of revenue for its budget. If the ministry’s estimate is even partly accurate, it puts pressure on Russia’s domestic fuel market and its military logistics. For Ukraine, it is also an argument in talks with partners: domestically produced long-range drones have become a tool that delivers results without foreign missiles.