Russia’s YANOS Refinery Halts Crude Processing After Drone Strike
Russia’s 300,000-barrel-per-day Yaroslavl oil refinery halted crude processing after a Ukrainian drone strike damaged a primary distillation unit, while another major unit was already offline for repairs following an earlier attack.
By Carolina Curiel
Published September 18, 2026
What Readers Should Know
- The YANOS refinery halted crude processing after a drone strike damaged its AVT-3 primary distillation unit.
- AVT-3 represents about 40% of the refinery’s total primary processing capacity.
- AVT-4, representing another 33% of capacity, was already under repair following an August 28 drone strike.
- The two affected units together account for about 73% of nominal primary distillation capacity.
- Fuel produced by the refinery was not offered on Russia’s domestic commodity exchange on Thursday.
Drone Strike Halts Crude Processing at YANOS
MONTREAL (Oil Monster): Russia’s Slavneft Yaroslavnefteorgsintez, or YANOS, refinery halted crude processing on Thursday after a Ukrainian drone attack damaged equipment at the facility, according to four industry sources cited by Reuters.
Yaroslavl regional Governor Mikhail Yevrayev said the region had come under a major drone attack and that 65 drones were downed.
Yevrayev said there were no casualties, while the refinery sustained damage and emergency crews worked to extinguish fires.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine struck the Yaroslavl refinery overnight. The facility is located approximately 250 kilometres, or 155 miles, northeast of Moscow.
AVT-3 Unit Represents About 40% of Capacity
Industry sources said the strike damaged the refinery’s AVT-3 primary crude distillation unit.
The unit can process approximately 17,140 metric tons of crude per day and accounts for about 40% of the refinery’s total primary processing capacity.
The damage is particularly significant because another major distillation unit was already unavailable.
Second Major Distillation Unit Already Under Repair
YANOS operates three primary crude distillation units.
| Unit | Capacity | Share | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVT-3 | 17,140 tons/day | 40% | Damaged in Sept. 17 strike |
| AT-4 | 11,430 tons/day | 27% | No damage reported in latest Reuters update |
| AVT-4 | 14,300 tons/day | 33% | Under repair after Aug. 28 strike |
The AVT-4 unit, which accounts for another 33% of primary processing capacity, was already undergoing repairs after being damaged in a drone strike on August 28.
Taken together, AVT-3 and AVT-4 represent approximately 73% of the refinery’s nominal primary distillation capacity.
Reuters did not report a timeline for restarting crude processing or completing repairs.
Fuel Offers Disappear From Domestic Exchange
Fuel produced by the Yaroslavl refinery was not offered for sale on Russia’s domestic commodity exchange on Thursday, according to market participants.
Slavneft’s YANOS press service did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
YANOS Processes About 300,000 Barrels Per Day
The Yaroslavl refinery has crude processing capacity of approximately 300,000 barrels per day, equivalent to about 15 million metric tons per year.
YANOS is owned by Slavneft, which is jointly controlled by Rosneft and Gazprom Neft.
The refinery processed 14.9 million metric tons of crude oil in 2024, according to industry sources.
Its output that year included approximately:
- 2.6 million metric tons of gasoline
- 4.0 million metric tons of diesel
- 4.7 million metric tons of fuel oil
Why the YANOS Shutdown Matters to Fuel Markets
The outage comes as Russia’s refining sector is already under pressure from repeated drone attacks and unplanned shutdowns.
Reuters reported earlier in September that several of Russia’s largest diesel-producing refineries had reduced output following strikes, tightening refining capacity at a time when global diesel markets were already constrained.
Russian seaborne oil-product exports rose 16.4% month over month in August to 4.57 million metric tons as some facilities recovered from outages and maintenance. However, exports remained about 50% below August 2025 levels amid refinery damage, port disruptions and export restrictions.
The immediate impact of the YANOS shutdown will depend on the extent of the AVT-3 damage, the repair schedule for AVT-4 and whether processing can resume using the remaining AT-4 unit.
Repair Timeline Remains Unclear
No estimate has been provided for how long YANOS will remain unable to process crude.
The condition of AVT-3 and progress on repairs to AVT-4 will determine how quickly the refinery can restore meaningful throughput.
Until then, the absence of YANOS fuel offers from the domestic exchange provides an early indication of the operational impact of the latest strike.
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Courtesy: www.reuters.com