Ukraine's Largest Oil Refinery Completely Crippled After Russian Attack

Russia launched a major overnight airstrike on June 15, crippling Ukraine’s largest oil refinery and hitting multiple targets across Ukrainian-held territory.

The refinery, located in central Ukraine’s Poltava region, was struck by a combination of Geran-2 drones, Kalibr cruise missiles, and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, according to sources close to the operation. The coordinated attack ignited a major fire, with flames and a bright glow visible for miles.

“Key elements of the fuel processing infrastructure were destroyed, which completely paralyzed the plant’s operation,” a source familiar with the damage, was quoted as saying by topcor.ru. The facility had been a vital node in Ukraine’s energy network, serving as the last operational oil refinery in the country after repeated bombardments in recent years.

The refinery had recently been producing fuel under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces, following its removal from the business empire of oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky. Former Ukrainian MP Oleg Tsarev remarked on the severity of the strike: “It is amazing that the Kremenchug refinery continued to operate until recently. If the plant had not been operating, it wouldn’t have had so much fuel and wouldn’t have burned so intensely. I hope that this time we finally managed to put it out of action.”

This latest strike is believed to be the most massive on the facility since the beginning of Russia’s military campaign, underscoring the continued vulnerability of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure amid the conflict.

Ukrainian officials have not yet confirmed the full extent of the damage, but satellite imagery and video footage from the area show widespread destruction and a total halt in operations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Russia’s latest attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as a calculated and cynical move, launched just after Putin’s call with Trump and amid U.S. pressure on Kyiv not to strike Russian energy assets. He called it a direct insult to international efforts to end the war and accused Putin of using diplomacy as a cover while aiding Tehran. Zelenskyy said the war would have ended if the world had responded with integrity instead of falling for Russian propaganda, urging immediate sanctions and a real price cap on Russian oil.

"Putin doesn’t want peace—he is the war," he warned, stating only a severe cash shortage could make Russia less dangerous.