Map of Shut-Down Refineries: What Changed After the Shift in Tactics This material was prepared jointly with the Fire Point X account. Previously, a strike on an oil refinery often followed roughly the same pattern: drones arrived, a storage tank or one processing unit caught fire, the refinery made the news — but continued operating. The loss of one CDU was partially compensated for by other lines. Now the picture is different. The focus appears to have shifted from simply striking refinery territory to simultaneously knocking out as many primary refining lines as possible. If there are two CDUs, both are targeted. If there is only one primary unit, losing it effectively means shutting down the entire refinery. A good example of the old scenario is NORSI in Kstovo on May 20. The CDU-6 was knocked out, but three other units remained operational — and the refinery kept running. Now let’s look at September: 🔴 KINEF (Kirishi) — 30.08 After a series of strikes and repairs, around 60% of the refinery’s primary processing capacity across its four lines was effectively knocked out. In early September, the refinery was reported to have completely shut down. Drones used: FP-1. 🔴 Ryazan Refinery — 06.09 Some primary processing capacity was already offline following previous strikes. On September 6, refining operations stopped completely. Drones used: FP-1. 🔴 Saratov Refinery — 11.09 A single ELOU-AVT-6 unit with a capacity of around 7 million tons per year accounted for effectively 100% of primary processing. It was knocked out — and the refinery stopped. Drones used: FP-1. 🔴 Syzran Refinery — 15.09 The key AVT-6 unit accounted for around 71% of capacity. After it was struck, the refinery shut down. Drones used: FP-1. 🔴 YANOS — 17.09 AVT-4 was already offline following an earlier strike. On September 17, AVT-3 was knocked out. Together, the two units accounted for around 73% of primary processing capacity — refining operations stopped. Drones used: FP-1. 🔴 Moscow Refinery — 20.09 Two main lines — and both were knocked out: AVT-6 accounted for 53%, while Euro+ accounted for 47%. Effectively 100% of primary refining capacity. Drones used: FP-1, Liutyi, jet-powered drones, and one new type of drone. 🔴 Kuibyshev Refinery — 22.09 Two primary processing units — AVT-4 and AVT-5. Both were damaged. No operational primary refining capacity remained. Drones used: FP-1. 🔴 Novoshakhtinsk Refinery — 25.09 Two ELOU-AVT units with a combined capacity of around 5–5.6 million tons per year. Following another strike, the refinery shut down. Drones used: FP-1. 🔴 Perm Refinery — 25.09 Four AVT units. The two largest — AVT-4 and AVT-5 — together account for more than 70% of primary processing capacity and had already been damaged in previous strikes. On September 25, refining operations stopped completely. Drones used: Liutyi. 🔴 Ilsky Refinery — 26.09 Three units were struck in a single attack: AT-4 — ~5%, AT-5 — ~27%, AT-6 — ~55%. Together, they account for more than 86% of the refinery’s capacity, in addition to the tank farm being hit. Following the attack, the refinery stopped operating. Drones used: FP-1. 🟠 Volgograd Refinery Following a series of attacks, the refinery is operating at roughly a quarter of its capacity. Drones used: Liutyi. 🟠 NORSI (Kstovo) On May 20, AVT-6 was knocked out, but the other units remained operational at the time. By September, utilization had fallen to roughly 25%. Drones used: Liutyi. And this is where the key difference becomes clear. Kstovo, May: one AVT → one attack → one unit knocked out → refinery kept operating. Moscow, September 20: two main lines → both knocked out. Kuibyshev, September 22: two lines → both knocked out. Ilsky, September 26: three key units struck at once → more than 86% of primary processing capacity affected. Of the 12 refineries on this list, FP-1 drones were used against 9 — 75%. Liutyi drones were involved at the other three. The Moscow Refinery is also counted among the FP-1 strikes, although it was a mixed attack involving several types of drones. Increasingly, a refinery is not simply left with a fire that burns for one night. Its ability to process crude oil itself is being taken away. In September, almost every attack on a refinery ended either in a complete shutdown or a sharp decline in refining capacity. So the main change is not a new drone. What has changed is where it strikes — and how many times. Fire Point (@FirePointUA)