Ukrainian strikes cause up to $900 million in damage to Russian energy infrastructure over six months
In a series of strategic attacks from September 2024 to February 2025, Ukraine has dealt a significant blow to Russian energy infrastructure, causing damages estimated at between 60 billion rubles (approximately $658 million) and 80 billion rubles (nearly $900 million), reports the news outlet ASTRA.
Analysts have highlighted the most significant disruption yet in a series of attacks on Russian energy facilities, with a strike on Gazprom's Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant deemed the most successful. Ukrainian drones targeted the gas condensate processing unit, rendering it completely inoperative.
Since the beginning of 2025, Ukrainian drones have been consistently targeting Russian oil refineries, leading to substantial economic losses for the Russian Federation. A detailed assessment by the intelligence community, In Factum, presents clear examples of the impact of these deep strikes.
One of the most impactful strikes occurred on October 7, 2024, targeting an oil depot in Feodosia, Crimea, which is currently under Russian annexation. This attack led to the destruction of 11 tanks with a capacity of 69,000 cubic meters, resulting in losses of $37.5 million. In January 2025, a strike on the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant disabled a processing unit, potentially costing the facility up to 40 billion rubles. Over the six-month period, 50 tanks have been destroyed, with another 47 damaged, the reports detail.
In February 2025, Ukrainian drones launched an assault on the Volgograd Oil Refinery. The facility halted operations for a week, subsequently operating at just 60% capacity, with full recovery projected to take up to six weeks.
"With 2023 revenue reaching nearly 70 billion rubles or $777 million, the daily revenue was around $2.1 million. Given the anticipated 23-38 days of partial operations, the Volgograd Refinery stands to lose $20-32 million more, with total losses expected to range from $35-47 million," analysts calculated for Russia's economic toll.
On January 24, 2025, Ukraine's Defense Forces struck Rosneft's Ryazan Oil Refinery. A fuel storage tank was destroyed, while two others sustained damage, confirmed by satellite imagery. Additionally, railway trestles located near the tanks and hydroprocessing installations suffered damage.
The refinery suspended fuel shipments for 18 days post-attack, leading to an 85% drop in Rosneft's revenues.
"With annual 2020 revenue of 26.5 billion rubles, or a daily $794,000, the three-week suspension cost the refinery a minimum of $12.8-$14.2 million," noted analysts.
In the case of Gazprom's Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant, affected by Ukrainian drone attacks, analysts consider it the most effective strike. Repairs on the incapacitated gas condensate processing unit could stretch to six months. According to Reuters, the plant processed 1.8 million tons of gas condensate in 2024, producing significant amounts of gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil.
The facility's 2024 product value stood at 83 billion rubles, with annual revenue topping 120.9 billion rubles. Analysts estimate the inoperable installation accounted for 69% of production.
"Conservatively, if the plant operates without the gas condensate block, Astrakhan could face $228.3-$456.6 million in losses. A complete shutdown for the period could drive losses to $331-$662 million," highlighted In Factum analysts.
In the event of the Astrakhan plant being offline for six months, they underline total losses could hit 77.9 billion rubles, or $863.4 million. In contrast, Russia's total oil export revenue for 2024 was projected at $189 billion by the International Energy Agency.
Additionally, on the night of March 10, Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck the Novokuybyshev Refinery in Russia.