Moscow Refinery
 | |
  Location within Moscow Ring Road .svg) Location within European Russia | |
 Interactive map of Moscow Refinery | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Refinery details | |
| Operator | Gazprom |
| Opened | 1938 |
| No. of employees | ~2,200 |
| Website | mnpz |
The Moscow Refinery (Russian: Московский нефтеперерабатывающий завод, МНПЗ, romanized: Moskovskiy neftepererabatyvayushchiy zavod, MNPZ, lit. 'Moscow Oil Refinery Plant') is an oil refinery plant in the southeast of the Russian capital of Moscow. It is also known as the Kapotnya Refinery, after the Kapotnya District in which it is located. This refinery has belonged to the Russian state-owned company Gazprom since 2011.
A major Ukrainian long-range drone wave attack, and collateral damage from Russian air defense, in June 2026 during the Russo-Ukrainian war caused the refinery to close operations until 2027; black rain was reported in Moscow.[1][2]
History
[edit]Soviet era
[edit]Soviet industrialization in the 1930s meant that more oil refineries were needed to fill the increased need for fuel. In 1936, the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry approved the construction of a new refinery near the Moskva River in the Moscow area, which began operation in 1938.[3]
On the Eastern Front of World War II, the refinery was crucial to the Soviet war effort because it provided crucial fuel supplies for the Soviet military. Some of the facilities were moved to Siberia or Central Asia to prevent capture by Nazi forces.[4][5] The Luftwaffe bombed the refinery frequently because of its importance to the war effort. The Soviets constructed a decoy refinery about 3km east of the real plant to protect the plant from bombing. Between 1941 and 1945, the refinery processed an estimated 2.8 million tons of oil.[4][5]
In August 1960, a decree from the Presidium of Soviet Russia incorporated the refinery plant into the administrative boundaries of the city of Moscow.[6]
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, new units were added to the refinery to expand the production range, including for dehydrogenation, producing diesel fuel, polypropylene, and catalytic reforming. After this modernization process, the refinery's capacity rose to about 12 million tons of oil per year.[6]
Russian Federation
[edit]In 1994, the refinery was organized into a joint-stock company during privatization. The plant was jointly operated by Sibir Energy and the Russian government.[6]
In March 1998, a fire broke out at the refinery, which destroyed a refining unit.[7]
In 2011, the state-owned Gazprom acquired Sibir Energy and the refinery became entirely state-owned.[8]
Russo-Ukrainian war
[edit]On 1 September 2024, during the Russo-Ukrainian war, a fire broke out at the refinery, after reports of a massive Ukrainian drone attack.[9][10]
On 16 June 2026, the refinery was set on fire by Ukrainian "FP-1, Liutyi, and Shahed-type drones".[11]
On the morning of 18 June, the refinery was subject to one of the largest drone and missile strikes of the Russia-Ukraine war, with dozens of drones hitting the complex causing multiple fires to break out in multiple units and storage tanks of the refinery, as well as around the refinery, including at a nearby shopping market. The upper floors of a multi-story residential building were impacted in the attack, but it is unclear if by Ukrainian attack drone or a Russian air defense missile.[12][13][14] Russian officials claimed that 17 people were injured, including two children.[15] Around the same time, Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the refinery again using long-range UAVs, causing flames and thick plumes of black smoke to rise from the burning oil depots,[16] darkening the Moscow skyline. Black rain was reported in Moscow.[2] A roof from a large storage tank was seen flying into the air amid an explosion[12][17], reportedly as the result of a Russian air defense missile.[18] Reuters reported that the refinery's operations would be stopped until 2027 after the strike.[1]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Moscow oil refinery hit by drone attacks is unlikely to resume production this year". Reuters. 24 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Moscow residents complain of black rain after largest Ukrainian attack hits oil refinery". BBC News. 2026-06-18. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ "77 лет в интересах 77-го региона". My District. March 23, 2015. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016.
- 1 2 Svetlov, Yegor (May 12, 2015). "Завод на линии фронта". My District. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016.
- 1 2 Starodubov, Yuriy (2016). "Как в Москве спасали топливо для танков" (PDF). Eastern District. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 3, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "77 лет в интересах 77-го региона (часть 2)". My District. March 31, 2015. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Пожар в Капотне". Kommersant. March 27, 1998. Archived from the original on 2024-01-29.
- ↑ "Russia's Gazprom Neft becomes sole owner of Sibir Energy". Reuters. February 15, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ↑ "Ukraine drones target refinery, power plants near Moscow, Russia says". www.politico.eu. 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ "Russia says Ukrainian drones target refinery, power plants near Moscow". www.reuters.com. 2024-09-01. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ Sania Kozatskyi (16 June 2026). "Ukrainian Drones Strike Moscow Oil Refinery, Triggering Fire". militarnyi. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- 1 2 Stuck-Feshchenko, Julia (18 June 2026). "Moscow's Biggest Oil Refinery Near Kremlin Hit Again as Drone Raid Sparks Fires Across Russian Capital". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
- ↑ Beaumont, Peter; Murray, Warren. "Russian oil refinery on fire after barrage of Ukrainian drones strike Moscow". The Guardian.
- ↑ Murray, Warren (2026-06-18). "Moscow oil refinery on fire after 'large-scale' Ukrainian drone strike". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
- ↑ Abbey Fenbert; Tania Myronyshena (18 June 2026). "Ukraine launches largest drone attack on Moscow since start of Russia's full-scale invasion, hits oil refinery". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
'If Ukraine burns, so will Moscow' — Zelensky confirms 2nd strike on Moscow Oil Refinery in a week
- ↑ Moscow refinery on fire after Ukrainian drone attack. Reuters. 2026-06-18. Retrieved 2026-06-18 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Дроны массированно атаковали НПЗ в Москве и регионах России". dw.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-06-18.
- ↑ "Moscow Refinery Blast May Have Been Caused by Friendly Fire, Video Suggests". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
