The strikes on the oil ports at Primorsk and Ust-Luga have already been covered quite well. Somewhat in the shadow are the strikes of recent days on two refineries — KirishinefteOrgsintez (KINEF) in Kirishi and YaroslavlNefteorgsintez (YANOS) in Yaroslavl.
These are not ordinary refineries with a standard product range consisting of a few fuel grades.
Revealing are the disclosures in Russian Telegram channels back in winter 2024 regarding a certain prioritization in the selection of targets in Russia's oil refining sector by Ukraine's Special Operations Forces units:
"...The refineries in Yaroslavl and Volgograd that have already been struck are of primary interest in this regard, as they produce the bulk of Russia's motor and industrial oils. Fuel goes without saying, but beyond fuel, industry and transport consume a considerable quantity of various oils and lubricants, without which the operation of machinery and equipment is impossible. It is logical that Ukraine analyzed the enterprises most important from the point of view of maximizing damage and focused its attention on these plants. Incidentally, there is a third enterprise in this category — KirishinefteOrgsintez, which supplies a similar product range to consumers in the Northwest, which includes, among others, Russia's two largest fleets — the Baltic and the Northern. Therefore, one should expect attempts to strike this enterprise as well."
KINEF: Jet fuel for Russian warplanes, naval fuel for two fleets
KINEF has a processing capacity of 20 million tons per year, is the second-largest refinery in Russia by volume after the Omsk refinery, and produces around 80 product types.
The enterprise's product range includes motor gasolines, diesel fuels, jet fuel, fuel oils, petroleum bitumens, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), petroleum aromatics and solvents, petroleum paraffins, sulfuric acid, sulfur, and more.
The plant produces virtually all grades of jet fuel for both civilian and combat aviation: TS-1, T-1, T-1S, T-2, and RT — as well as naval fuel for the Russian Navy's needs: marine fuel oils F-5 and F-12.
Ukraine’s Baltic energy blitz: KINEF refinery struck as Kyiv targets Russia’s northwestern export corridor
YANOS: The plant that keeps Russia's tanks, air defenses, and strategic bombers running
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YANOS, beyond being a strategic refinery supplying fuel to Russia's Central Federal District, Moscow, and the needs of the Russian Ministry of Defense, is Russia's leading producer of a specialized range of oils and lubricants. Its processing capacity is 15 million tons of oil per year. Its main products include motor gasolines, diesel fuel, jet fuel, heating fuel oil, bitumens — road, roofing, and construction grades — paraffin-wax products, aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as base, compressor, transmission, and industrial oils.
In 2020, YANOS launched production of a special diesel fuel for Arctic and Antarctic conditions to Russian Ministry of Defense specifications — a fuel that retains its properties down to –65℃.
The plant has an important oil production complex that produces turbine, industrial, compressor, and transmission oils and lubricants — widely used in military and special-purpose equipment — as well as base oils for the further production of lubricants and oils with special properties.
In particular, these are:
- oils and lubricants for the engines and transmissions of T-90M, T-72B3M, and T-62 tanks, the entire line of armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers, heavy multi-axle Platforma-O transporters for transporting strategic missile systems, transport-loading vehicles of the Strategic Missile Forces, heavy KamAZ/Ural trucks, engineering equipment, and special military equipment;
- oils for T-80U/BVM tanks equipped with gas turbine units;
- oils for the hydraulic systems and drives of the Buk, Tor, and Pantsir air defense missile system families; oils and lubricants for gas turbine units on Russian Navy vessels.
- Based on base oils, the plant also produces gearbox oils for Mi- and Ka-series attack helicopters, as well as for the turboprop engines and gearboxes of the Tu-95MS strategic bomber.
Ukraine strikes Yaroslavl key fuel hub for Russian army, targeting its 15 million-ton annual capacity
Therefore, KINEF and YANOS are priority targets for periodic strikes — up to and including the disabling of key production units that ensure the output of specialized products, without which the effective operation and use of the aggressor's military equipment are impossible.
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