Overview
- The Salavat oil and petrochemical complex in Bashkortostan stopped operations after a drone strike that hit the site in the night of July 14, according to industry sources and local officials.
- Industry sources reported both primary crude distillation units—CDU-6 (17,140 tonnes per day) and CDU-4 (11,430 tpd)—plus secondary processing equipment were damaged, forcing a full halt to the plant.
- Local governor Radiy Khabirov confirmed the attack, said most fires were extinguished, and expressed hope the plant could return to normal volumes within days, while industry experts warned repairs could take weeks or months.
- Ukraine's Special Operations Forces and President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly claimed responsibility for the strike, which demonstrates Kyiv's growing reach in targeting energy infrastructure far from the front line.
- The Salavat complex processed about 7.2 million tonnes of crude in 2024 and produced large volumes of diesel and gasoline, and the strike follows roughly 50 attacks on Russian refineries over three months that have cut national refining to multi-decade lows.