Russia Boosts Drone Defenses at Oil Refineries to Avoid Production Losses

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia is willing to spend heavily on protecting its oil refineries from drone strikes, arguing that idle plants would cause even larger financial losses. Refineries’ owners provide passive protection and coordinate with the Defense Ministry and National Guard, a system Novak said matches or exceeds the UAE’s. No energy facility has yet been placed under external management for inadequate protection, and a presidential decree now encourages private companies to engage more actively and continuously in safeguarding their sites. Scheduled refinery maintenance, normally carried out in summer, has been postponed to keep fuel production at maximum levels amid ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks that have already hit all of Russia’s largest refineries and caused gasoline shortages.