Ukraine Drone Strike Hits Gazprom Neft Refinery In Omsk, Halting Operations

Ukrainian air strikes hit an oil refinery in Omsk on July 6, marking the first time the city had been targeted since President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“Russia‘s largest oil refinery in Omsk, owned by Gazprom Neft, has reportedly halted operations following a Ukrainian drone strike on Monday, according to Reuters, citing two industry sources”

Kyiv Post

RFE/RL reported the first explosions were heard at 3:15 p.m. local time on July 6 on two streets where the refinery’s main processing facilities are located, and it described residents watching a huge plume of smoke across the city.

Kyiv Post

The Kyiv Post, citing Reuters and two industry sources, said Russia’s largest oil refinery in Omsk, owned by Gazprom Neft, halted operations after the drone strike and that the refinery processed 22 million metric tons of crude oil in 2024.

Kyiv Post also reported that Anatoly Seryshev, Putin’s envoy to the Siberian Federal District, confirmed that the refinery sustained damage and said, "No plant personnel were injured."

The Times of India later framed the broader context of Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign by saying Ukraine claimed it struck three Russian oil refineries and tankers in the Sea of Azov during overnight attacks.

RFE/RL quoted a local mother describing the blast as so loud that she thought her balcony windows would shatter, saying, "It went on for more than an hour."

The same RFE/RL report said that after one hour residents received a text message from local emergency services informing them of a "drone alert" in the city, followed by cellphone networks warning of possible service disruptions.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Kyiv Post, citing Reuters, reported that the attack damaged the CDU-10 crude distillation unit, which accounts for about 38% of the refinery’s processing capacity, and that the unit reportedly caught fire during the strike.

Kyiv Post also said that exchange data showed the refinery suspended gasoline and diesel sales on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange starting Tuesday.

In a separate account, Al Jazeera said satellite images analyzed by its Open Source Intelligence unit showed burn marks in a section of the refinery and quoted a post describing "two primary processing units are burning—the heart of the refinery."

Kyiv Post warned that the halt in operations at the plant, described as Russia’s top producer of gasoline, was likely to exacerbate fuel shortages across the country.

“For more than four years, the inhabitants of Omsk, a Siberian city more than 2,250 kilometers east of Moscow, have watched the war against Ukraine from afar”

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

It reported that Omsk’s largest gas station chain, Topline, suspended gasoline sales to private customers and that gasoline sales to individuals were halted at all 53 Topline gas stations, with fuel price boards displaying zeros instead of prices.

Kyiv Post said Topline told local outlet SuperOmsk that sales were temporarily suspended due to "a failure at the oil depot, which affected the operational shipment and logistics of fuel."

The Times of India added that Russia’s defence ministry said its air defences destroyed 415 Ukrainian drones overnight, while acknowledging damage in several areas across multiple regions.

Al Jazeera said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described the operation as "an important achievement for the Ukrainian armed forces," adding that "Siberia is now also in the crosshairs of Ukrainian precision strikes."