The Ilsky oil refinery in southern Russia is the latest to join a growing list of oil plants stuck offline because sanctions block access to repair equipment.
The shutdown exposes how sanctions and Ukrainian strikes create a deepening crisis.
By late October 2025, drone attacks have damaged 16 of Russia’s 38 refineries, and now Western companies like UOP and ABB, which supplied technology to Russia’s 40 largest refineries, have stopped providing the specialized parts and expertise needed for repairs.
Each new breakdown—whether from combat damage or routine failures—becomes difficult and time-consuming to repair, systematically dismantling the fuel production that finances Russia’s war.
Repairs become nearly impossible
The Ilsky facility, operated by KNGK-Holding, officially cited “scheduled maintenance,” but industry sources told Azerbaijani outlet Vesti.az the plant faced sales difficulties and production cuts driven by sanctions, stalled modernization, and market instability.
This, paired with the inability to acquire specialized equipment to fix refineries, makes every breakdown from a minor nuisance into a huge problem.
As Sergei Vakulenko, a Carnegie Endowment energy analyst, put it: “Just like you can’t replace a faulty clutch in a BMW with a similar part from a Russian-made Lada, the same applies in industry.”
Even refineries that haven’t been hit by Ukrainian drones run at reduced capacity because spare parts and specialist repair crews remain scarce under sanctions. Russia’s few resources are being redirected to repair strike-damaged facilities, meaning undamaged plants cannot maintain full production.
Fuel shortage spreads
The International Energy Agency says Ukrainian drone strikes have already cut Russia’s refining output by 500,000 barrels per day and will keep processing rates suppressed until at least mid-2026—a timeline that doesn’t account for additional shutdowns like Ilsky.
The fuel shortage has forced Russia to import gasoline from Belarus, and rail deliveries from Russia’s staunchest ally have quadrupled to 49,000 tons monthly as the Kremlin scrambles to supply domestic markets and military operations.
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