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Russia’s largest gas processing plant was forced to shut down — at least partially — after a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire and caused major damage on Sunday, officials said.
The plan stopped taking in natural gas from Kazakhstan following the overnight attack at the Orenburg processing plant, the largest facility of its kind on the planet, Kazakhstan’s energy ministry said.
The damage and processing freeze is yet another blow to Moscow — as Kyiv continues to bombard energy facilities in the hopes of crippling Russia’s ability to wage war.
The overnight drone strike hit a workshop at the Orenburg plant, run by state-owned gas giant Gazprom, located near the border with Kazakhstan, regional Gov. Yevgeny Solntsev said.
The major fuel plant has an annual processing capacity of about 45 billion cubic meters, with the facility handling gas output from both the Orenburg oil and gas field and Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field.
It’s unclear whether the entire plant went offline, or just the portion that processes fuel from Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s energy ministry said it had been notified of the emergency and damage to the plant, but said Gazprom did not provide any details on the extent of the damage or when the facility would be up and running again.
The strike on the gas plant was part of a large Ukrainian drone assault, with Russia’s Ministry of Defense reporting that at least 45 UAVs were shot down overnight, including one in Orenburg.
Ukraine’s latest assault on Russia’s energy sector has caused Moscow’s fossil fuel exports to plummet to their lowest point since the start of the war in Ukraine nearly four years ago.
Russia exported an average of $637 million of fuel a day last month — a 4% slip from August, and a 26% drop from oil exports recorded in September 2024, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
At least 18 Russian oil facilities have been targeted since the summer, with drones taking out a key oil terminal in Crimea, halting crude oil production, and causing headaches for Russian consumers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he plans to continue the attacks on Russia’s crude oil refineries, depots and terminals, calling such attacks “the most effective sanctions — the ones that work the fastest.”
Zelensky also echoed President Trump’s call for all NATO members to stop from purchasing Russian oil, saying Sunday that the West must stand independent of Moscow energy.
“There should be zero Russian energy in Europe,” Zelensky said in a statement on X.
“The signals from America are clear — they are ready to supply as much gas and oil as needed to replace Russian supplies. Our region has the necessary infrastructure and potential to contribute to Europe’s energy independence way more,” he added.
— With Post wires
