In response to a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on its oil refineries, Russia has announced plans to fortify these critical infrastructure sites with advanced air defense systems.
Artem Verkhov, the director of the gas industry development department at the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, announced plans to deploy "Pantsyri" air defense systems at oil refineries for enhanced security.
"The work on security is ongoing; it's a really urgent issue. We are working together, including with colleagues from the Russian Guard, on covering objects, installing the necessary protection systems of the 'Pantsir' type," Verkhov stated in an interview with Interfax.
Since the start of the year, Ukrainian drones have targeted multiple Russian refineries, including some of the country's largest facilities such as the Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod refineries.
These attacks have significantly impacted Russia's oil refining capabilities.
Reuters reports that these drone strikes have resulted in a 13% reduction in Russia's total primary oil refining capacity. This equates to approximately 115,000 tons of oil per day.
Despite these substantial losses, Russia's production of diesel and gasoline has yet to be affected, thanks to the surplus capacity of other refineries during the off-peak season.
The latest in these drone assaults occurred on March 17 when the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) targeted the Sloviansky Refinery in Kuban with drones.
