UAV event in Ryazan Oil Refinery area, Russian Federation on Thu 15th October 2026

Russian Ryazan oil refinery halts operations of one main unit after drone attack, Reuters reports.

Russia's Ryazan oil refinery suspended operations at one of its main crude distillation units, CDU-6, following a drone attack on Oct. 15, Reuters reported a day later, citing unnamed industry sources.

The news comes amid a dispute between Kyiv and Washington over Ukrainian attacks on Russia's oil and energy infrastructure.

U.S. President Donald Trump has pressured Ukraine to halt the attacks, reportedly threatening to cut intelligence sharing and weapons support, while blaming the strikes for rising global fuel prices — a claim disputed by energy experts.

After Trump unilaterally announced an "energy ceasefire" between Moscow and Kyiv on Oct. 11, Ukraine initially paused refinery strikes. However, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 15 that Kyiv had lifted the pause due to Moscow's continued attacks against Ukraine's energy grid.

The same unit of the Ryazan oil refinery had already been shut down following a drone strike in September. The refinery's three other primary crude distillation units — CDU-1, CDU-3, and CDU-4 — reportedly continue to operate.

The oil refinery has been targeted repeatedly in recent months. It was struck on Sept. 6 and May 15, with repairs after the May attack lasting until around mid-July. A further attack on July 29 halted operations for several weeks.

Since Zelensky announced the resumption of strikes earlier this week, Kyiv has not reported any new attacks on Russian oil refineries or confirmed reports of such strikes.

Throughout the week, Moscow continued its near-constant drone attacks on Ukraine and launched a large-scale ballistic missile attack on Kyiv overnight on Oct. 13–14, damaging a residential neighborhood and targeting several energy facilities.

On Oct. 16, Russia launched one of its largest attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, targeting more than 15 key energy facilities across the country, Zelensky said. The attack came as Trump waived sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.