Key units at Syzran Oil Refinery have been damaged. SATELLITE PHOTO

Following the strike on 12 July, satellites detected damage to the ELOU-AVT-5 and ELOU-AVT-6 units at the Syzran Oil Refinery, as well as to secondary processing equipment and an oil tank.

According to Censor.NET, a photo showing the damage was published by the Dnipro Osint Telegram channel.

A satellite image shows significant damage to process equipment, pipe racks and production buildings at the ELOU-AVT-5 unit, which accounts for around 30 per cent of the refinery’s primary oil refining capacity.

The ELOU-AVT-6 unit, which accounts for around 70 per cent of primary refining, has also been damaged. An oil spill has been observed near the damaged overpass, and three cranes have been spotted near the impact site, which may be used to deal with the aftermath.

Secondary refining units have been affected

In addition, damage was found to the secondary refining units LCh-35/11-600, where catalytic reforming takes place, and PGI-DIG/280, designed for low-temperature isomerisation. In another part of the plant, one of the crude oil storage tanks was also damaged.

What led up to this?

On the night of 12 July, drones attacked the Syzran oil refinery in the Samara region of the Russian Federation. Explosions and a fire were reported on the refinery’s premises.

It later emerged that the strikes were carried out by operators from the 1st Separate Centre and the 414th ‘Madyar's Birds’ Brigade, in coordination with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence and the State Border Guard Service. The strike resulted in a large-scale fire on the plant’s premises.

On 13 July, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that an assessment had confirmed damage to two primary oil refining units – AVT-5 and AVT-6.

The Syzran Oil Refinery is one of the largest oil refineries in the Samara Oblast. The plant’s design capacity is approximately 8.5 million tonnes of crude oil per year. The refinery produces: