Ukraine struck another major Russian refinery on Thursday, targeting Gazprom's Neftekhim Salavat complex in the Urals as Kyiv intensifies a campaign of deep-strike drone attacks that has already forced Moscow to curb fuel exports and begin importing gasoline—a reversal for one of the world's largest oil producers.

The attack triggered a fire at the 200,000-barrel-per-day facility in Russia's Bashkortostan region, approximately 750 miles east of Moscow, according to Ukraine's General Staff. The distance from Ukrainian-held territory underscores the growing reach of Ukraine's long-range drone capabilities. Regional governor Radiy Khabirov said drone debris ignited a fire in Salavat's industrial zone but declined to identify the specific facility affected. Neftekhim Salavat had previously been struck in mid-July.

A second Urals refinery faces an even more severe situation. The 120,000-bpd Orsknefteorgsintez plant in the Orenburg region has ceased operations entirely following Ukrainian drone strikes, regional governor Yevgeny Solntsev announced Thursday. Solntsev said repairs could require up to six months because international sanctions have made replacement of damaged equipment difficult. Western sanctions restrict Russia's access to specialized refining components such as distillation columns and catalytic crackers, which are predominantly manufactured by U.S. and European companies. The refinery was first struck on Monday, and the city of Orsk came under renewed drone attack on Thursday.

Ukraine has been targeting Russian refineries and export infrastructure on a near-daily basis, aiming to constrain Moscow's oil revenue while tightening domestic fuel supplies. The campaign has emerged as one of Kyiv's most effective economic-pressure strategies against Russia's war economy. The resulting refinery outages have contributed to gasoline shortages inside Russia and prompted restrictions on exports of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

Russia has begun importing gasoline from India. A 42,000-ton cargo from Nayara Energy's Vadinar refinery arrived in Russia on August 5, according to Kpler data. The Vadinar refinery is partly owned by Rosneft and processes Russian crude—meaning some of the same barrels exported eastward are returning as finished fuel.

Russian refinery throughput averaged approximately 3.6 million bpd in July, more than 30% below seasonal norms, according to EA Analytics estimates cited by Bloomberg. The processing declines are reflected in Russia's export figures: seaborne petroleum-product exports dropped 33% in July compared to June and nearly 55% year-over-year as refinery outages reduced available fuel supplies.

Ukraine also struck oil infrastructure tied to Transneft's Sheskharis export terminal at Novorossiysk this week, according to Ukraine's Security Service, extending the pressure from domestic refineries to the export infrastructure Russia relies on to move crude abroad through its Black Sea port complex.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com