Ukraine Strikes Rosneft and Lukoil Refineries

Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Ukrainian forces struck Rosneft PJSC's refinery in Ryazan, about 120 km (75 miles) from Moscow, and the attack caused a fire, according to Ukraine's General Staff.
- Ukraine also hit Lukoil PJSC's refinery in Perm, roughly 1,500 km east of the Russian capital, per Zelenskyy's Telegram statement.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced both overnight strikes on his official Telegram channel.
- These marked Ukraine's first strikes on large Russian oil-processing facilities in nearly two weeks.
- A NASA FIRMS satellite image from July 29 reflecting the prior 24 hours shows only a minor heat anomaly at the Ryazan refinery site, despite reports of a fire there.
Why it matters: Ukraine's ability to hit two refineries separated by roughly 1,500 km in a single overnight barrage extends its strike reach deep into Russian energy infrastructure and continues a campaign that has already pushed Moscow toward diesel export bans; the July 29 NASA FIRMS image showing only a minor heat anomaly at Ryazan, however, suggests the actual fire damage may be smaller than the initial Ukrainian claims imply.


