As of the end of September 2026, 15 of russia’s 38 major oil refineries had been shut down, while another 12 had cut production. As a result, total refining volumes at these facilities fell by 55.4% compared with the beginning of the year, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported.
The hardest-hit facilities were located in the Volga, Central and Southern Federal Districts. These include PJSC Slavneft-YANOS, Kirishinefteorgsintez LLC, Ryazan Oil Refining Company JSC, Gazpromneft-Moscow Refinery JSC and Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez LLC. Together, these refineries accounted for about 33% of total oil refining volumes in russia.
At the same time, refineries in remote regions of the russian federation continue to operate. In September, their total refining volume amounted to 906,000 barrels per day — 147,000 barrels more than at the beginning of the year. These facilities accounted for about 24% of all oil refining in the country.
According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the operation of remote refineries allows the kremlin to temporarily offset the fuel shortage. However, the scope for such substitution is limited by the geographical location of these facilities, while the transportation of petroleum products is hampered by a shortage of railway rolling stock and road tankers. In addition, production at these refineries may decline in 2027 because planned maintenance work has been postponed until next year.
Intelligence officials also drew attention to the Kremlin’s decision to restrict access to information on oil refining volumes. The relevant changes are provided for in vladimir putin’s decree No. 686 of September 28. According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, this makes independent monitoring of the industry impossible and creates conditions for the spread of inaccurate data, particularly regarding diesel fuel production.
According to intelligence data, precision strikes by the Ukrainian Defence Forces on facilities in russia’s oil industry have inflicted more than $23.2 billion in damage on the russian economy. This is almost equal to the industry’s total revenue for 2025, which amounted to $26.6 billion.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine added that russia is facing difficulties repairing and maintaining damaged facilities due to international sanctions and the high cost of equipment. The expenses involved in replacing it could exceed $20 billion.
Intelligence officials note that, despite redistributing the workload among the surviving facilities, russia is unable to fully meet its own demand for petroleum products while simultaneously fulfilling its export commitments.