Russia's Vital Sizran Oil Refinery Forced To Shut Down After Devastating Strikes

Russia's vital Sizran oil refinery forced to shut down after devastating strikes By Cheyenne R. Ubiera, 4 days ago A key Russian oil refinery had to stop operations earlier this week after being damaged in a drone strike by Ukrainian forces. The strike was confirmed by Ukraine's military, who said that the Dec. 5 operation was carried out to "reduce the military and economic potential of the Russian aggressor." The drones targeted the refinery's crude distillation unit, which had been previously attacked in August and required two weeks of repairs. One source told Reuters that repairs following this most recent attack could take up to a month. The Sizran Oil Refinery is located in Samara Oblast, about 430 miles from the Ukrainian border. Utah mom feels 'no guilt' over death of baby girl after leaving her in crib full of trash Meghan Markle's 5-word statement on father Thomas' amputation surgery The refinery was established in 1942 and is owned by the state-owned oil company Rosneft. The refinery has an annual processing capacity of seven to 8.9 million tons of oil. The facility was previously targeted in past drone strikes as part of Ukraine's war against the Russian oil industry. Russian officials confirmed the strike, but details are scarce at this time Ukraine has frequently been using homegrown long-range drones to strike Russian oil infrastructure, with government and military officials referring to these operations as Kyiv's "long-range sanctions." The attack occurred around 2 a.m. and was accompanied by several explosions and the sounds of air defense in the southern and western parts of the city. Footage from the attack shows flames shooting up into the night sky. Sizran Mayor Sergei Volodchenkov confirmed the strike, but didn't give further information. DON'T MISS... Inside bizarre plot to invade island, murder men and use women and children as sex slaves Marjorie Taylor Greene 'quits' Congress as Donald Trump gloats and labels her a 'traitor' Donald Trump 'keen' to be friends with Democratic mayor Zohran Mamdani after telling move Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that it had intercepted nine Ukrainian drones over Samara. Crimean Wind, a pro-Ukrainian monitoring channel that reports on events in occupied Crimea, described the Sizran Oil Refinery as "key for the southern Volga region." The facility serves the Samara, Saratov, and Penza regions, as well as parts of Central Russia. It has access to railway and river transport routes for domestic supply and exports through the Caspian Sea. The refinery produces gasoline, diesel, aviation kerosene, fuel oil, and bitumen, which are essential for the nearby agricultural and transportation sectors - and also supplies airfields and military units in Russia's Central and Southern districts.