Drone strikes are taking a heavy toll on Russian oil refineries, with many of the damaged facilities built during the Soviet era and now too old to be repaired quickly, according to Money.pl.
The Polish financial news outlet reports that the attacks have exposed a critical weakness in Russia's energy infrastructure. Because the refineries rely on outdated Soviet-designed equipment, replacement parts and skilled repair crews are scarce, leaving damaged units offline for extended periods.
The disruption is rippling through the domestic market. Multiple Polish outlets, including Wiadomości Onet and Business Insider Polska, report that hundreds of petrol stations across Russia have shut down, describing the situation as the most severe fuel crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. TVP Info adds that crude oil production has also sunk to near-record lows as the refinery bottlenecks back up the supply chain.
The closures and shortages are a direct consequence of the drone campaign, which has repeatedly targeted refineries deep inside Russian territory. Analysts cited by Rzeczpospolita note that the strikes have laid bare how dependent Russia remains on aging industrial plants that cannot be easily swapped out or modernised under current conditions.
The combination of old infrastructure and ongoing attacks means that even if drone raids were to stop tomorrow, restoring normal fuel output would take months, not weeks, according to the reporting. The spare parts and expertise needed to fix Soviet-era cracking units and distillation columns are largely unavailable due to international sanctions.
What to watch next: whether Russia can source alternative repair routes or if the fuel shortage will force deeper cuts to domestic consumption and exports.
