Damage has been confirmed to two facilities in Russia’s fuel and energy sector as a result of earlier strikes by the Defence Forces. These are the Samara line production and dispatch station in Samara Region and the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant in Astrakhan Region.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this.
After the 2 October strike on the Samara line production and dispatch station in the settlement of Prosvet, damage was recorded to 11 RVS-20000 tanks, three RVSPK-50000 tanks, a section of pipelines and the automated loading station for petroleum products.
The consequences of the 4 October attack on the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant have also been confirmed. Elements of two gas purification units — U-172 and U-272 — and the U-1731 secondary distillation unit were damaged there.
What is known about the facilities?
- Samara line production and dispatch station is a major hub for receiving, storing and blending oil, where feedstock arrives from Tatarstan, Western Siberia and other oil-producing regions of Russia. The station blends oil to form the Urals export grade, which accounts for up to 50% of Russia’s total oil exports. The facility is also involved in meeting the needs of Russian forces.
- The Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant is one of the world’s largest producers of gas sulphur, which is used in nitration processes during the manufacture of explosives and gunpowder. The plant’s design capacity is up to 12 billion cubic metres of reservoir gas per year, and technical sulphur production is up to 3.5 million tonnes per year, which is about half of all Russian output. The plant is also involved in supplying the Russian army.