Ukrainian Drone Strike Hits Lukoil Refinery in Perm as Russian Oil Processing Plunges to 21-Year Low

The strike was the latest in a sustained 2026 campaign of long-range drone attacks against Russian oil infrastructure that by July had driven the country's crude-processing rates to a 21-year low . According to data from Energy Aspects, Russian refineries processed an average of 3.91 million barrels per day in early July 2026 — the lowest rate since March 2005 and a drop of more than 1.4 million barrels per day from the previous year .

The July 29 Strikes: Targets and Confirmed Outcomes

Perm Refinery (Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez)

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine's General Staff confirmed the attack on the Perm refinery, which has an annual capacity exceeding 13 million metric tons . Monitoring outlet Exilenova+ reported that eyewitness videos showed thick black smoke rising over the facility . Perm region governor Dmitry Makhonin acknowledged an attack on an "industrial facility" and said several drones had been intercepted . The primary oil-refining unit — a key piece of processing equipment — was reported hit .

Ryazan Refinery and Wildberries Logistics Center

In a coordinated overnight operation on July 28–29, Ukraine struck the Rosneft-owned Ryazan Oil Refinery in central Russia, causing a fire . Deep Strike units of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces, working with the Russian resistance movement "Black Spark," carried out the attack . Ryazan region governor Pavel Malkov confirmed that industrial facilities caught fire and six people sought medical attention . Drones also struck a nearby Wildberries logistics center, which was evacuated . The Wildberries warehouse was one of at least seven such facilities damaged in preceding days, destroying around 10% of the company's storage capacity . President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the strikes on both refineries on social media .

Prymorskyi Posad Training Ground

On July 29 and into the night of July 30, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Prymorskyi Posad military training ground in the temporarily occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region . The General Staff described this as part of a broader effort to degrade Russia's military and economic capabilities .

Scope of Ukraine's 2026 Campaign Against Russian Oil Infrastructure

The July 29 strikes were part of an escalating, systematic campaign that, by July 2026, had hit 9 of Russia's 10 largest refineries . The Moscow refinery alone was struck at least three times; after a May 2026 strike it stopped processing oil entirely, and June strikes damaged two key units that provided almost all of its remaining capacity .

Ukraine had hit at least 24 of Russia's 34 large refineries in roughly 50 attacks over the preceding 100 days . The IEA predicted in October 2025 that drone strikes would suppress Russian refinery processing rates until at least mid-2026 .

Impact on crude processing: The sustained wave of attacks pushed Russian refining runs to a 21-year low. Besides the 3.91 million barrels per day average in early July 2026 , commodities data firm Kpler reported an even lower figure of about 3.80 million barrels per day in July-to-date, with refinery downtime and attacked capacity at around 4.3 million bpd . Russian crude output also fell to a one-year low in May 2026, averaging 9.009 million barrels per day, as some upstream production was forced to cut when refineries could no longer take delivery .

Broader Economic Consequences

Domestic fuel shortages: The refinery damage triggered severe fuel shortages across Russia. Bloomberg reported that the plunge in refining runs "deepened a domestic fuel crunch" . Russia banned most diesel exports until the end of July 2026, adding to previously imposed restrictions on gasoline and jet fuel exports . Analysts warned that the cumulative damage created acute shortages of gasoline and diesel for Russian consumers and industry.

Global diesel prices: With a major global diesel exporter losing processing capacity, global diesel prices rose as markets priced in reduced Russian exports . The disruption simultaneously squeezed the global market as Russia's ability to export refined products collapsed .

Stranded crude: Nearly 135 million barrels of Russian crude were stranded at sea as of mid-July 2026 because Ukraine's drone campaign forced Russia to ship unprocessed oil abroad instead of refining it domestically .

Summary of July 29–30, 2026 Strikes