In the early hours of May 15, Ukrainian forces targeted the Ryazan Oil Refinery in Russia, resulting in significant damage to critical infrastructure. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that the attack affected several processing units, including the AVT-3, AVT-4, AT-6, and a diesel fuel hydrocracking unit.
The Ryazan facility is one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, playing a vital role in supplying fuel to Russian military operations. Following the drone assault, which local authorities reported involved 99 Ukrainian drones, a state of emergency was declared in Ryazan due to casualties and damage to residential buildings.
According to the latest reports, four individuals lost their lives, and 28 others were injured as a result of the attack. The governor of the Ryazan region, Pavel Malikov, noted that two multi-story residential buildings sustained damage, and debris from the drones fell onto industrial property.
In addition to the strike on the refinery, Ukrainian forces reported multiple other successful attacks on Russian military targets on May 16. These included a command post near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, a drone control center in Grafskoye, and a hangar housing military equipment in Selidovo. Further strikes were confirmed on a logistics depot in Baranikivka, a repair unit in Pryvillia, and troop concentrations in various locations, including Shakhtarsk and Mikhailivka.
Despite the Ukrainian claims, Russian authorities have not confirmed the reported damages. The attack on the Ryazan refinery resulted in a fire, which was later verified by the Ukrainian General Staff.
Satellite images released by Radio Free Europe show visible damage to a pipeline connecting the storage area to one of the refinery’s processing units, indicating an active fire at the site.
The Ryazan Oil Refinery is part of the Rosneft group, with an annual processing capacity of approximately 17 million tons of oil. Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, various sites within Russia have been targeted, particularly oil refineries, as part of Ukraine’s strategy to diminish the operational capabilities of Russian forces.
Ukrainian forces launched a drone attack on the Ryazan Oil Refinery on May 15, causing significant damage and casualties. The General Staff confirmed the strike targeted critical infrastructure, while additional attacks on Russian military sites were reported the following day.