Ukrainian drone strike fully shuts down oil refinery Russia’s Orsk, governor says. Repairs could take 6 months.

Ukrainian drones knocked out the oil refinery in Orsk, forcing a complete shutdown, Orenburg Governor Yevgeny Solntsev said.“The fragments struck key infrastructure that cannot currently be restored,” Solntsev said. Because the plant relies on imported equipment, replacing it is difficult given the full range of international sanctions.Repairs could take up to six months, Solntsev said, adding that the region is bracing for “the worst-case scenario.”He continued:“We will have to rely on fuel brought in from outside. Logistics are already being reconfigured. Of the 287 gas stations, 80% are operating. As a reminder, priority today goes to special-purpose vehicles.”Solntsev stressed that the situation at gas stations across the region remains “not easy everywhere, but manageable.”Drones attacked the Orsk oil refinery in the early hours of August 11. Ukrainian monitoring channels said the strike hit the primary oil refining unit at the Orsknefteorgsintez plant.Ukraine’s armed forces have carried out regular strikes on Russian oil facilities in recent months, triggering a fuel crisis marked by rising gas prices, shortages, and hours-long lines at gas stations nationwide.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.