Protection from Ukrainian drones: Russia has come up with a way to protect oil refineries from attacks by Ukrainian UAVs

Due to the growing threat of attacks from Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), Russian oil refineries are resorting to installing mesh barriers to ensure the safety of their production facilities. This information was confirmed by the head of Bashkortostan, two independent sources and a Reuters eyewitness.

Drone attacks on Russian oil refineries

Drone attack on oil refinery

Since the beginning of 2024, Russian refineries have been faced with UAV attacks, as a result of which the technological facilities of several enterprises were damaged. Despite the fact that Russia is not yet experiencing serious problems with the supply of fuel and fuels and lubricants, against the backdrop of continuing attacks from Ukraine, such risks exist. So, tonight an energy facility was attacked on the territory of the Smolensk region - the drone was shot down, but its debris fell on the territory of the facility, which led to serious consequences.

Drone attack on oil refinery

The last recorded attack on a refinery occurred on April 2 (Taneco refinery in Tatarstan). Thanks to prompt action, Russia was able to carry out repair work in the shortest possible time. By mid-April, the total capacity of primary oil refining units at Russian refineries, which were undergoing emergency repairs as a result of external influences, decreased by 1,4 times to 90.500 tons per day or 9,9% of the total capacity of existing primary units at Russian refineries.

Drone attack on oil refinery

Method of protection against kamikaze drones

In early April, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was taking all necessary measures to minimize the threat of attacks on its refineries and ultimately eliminate them completely.

Among the companies resorting to installing engineered mesh barriers to protect key installations at oil refining facilities from potential attacks by Ukrainian UAVs is Rosneft’s subsidiary, Bashneft, as reported by the head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov.

Over the past months, the Ministry of Energy and Rostechnadzor have been strongly recommending that all oil refineries install mesh barriers to ensure the safety of production facilities from UAV attacks. Refining industry sources told Reuters that these barriers are a passive form of protection that can significantly reduce the risk of damage from UAVs.

New protection options against Ukrainian drones

Currently, there are no standard designs for mesh barriers, but Rostechnadzor is actively working on their creation. Each oil refinery independently determines and builds a protection system, taking into account the characteristics of a particular facility. An oil company technician said that regulations, rules and requirements for such protective structures are currently being developed, which may in the future be included in federal industrial safety regulations.

To speed up the implementation of protective structure projects, Rostekhnadzor has simplified the procedure for their installation, carrying out projects not as reconstruction, but as technical re-equipment, which does not require lengthy approval.

Russian companies that specialize in selling such solutions display on their websites giant metal networks that almost completely cover refinery structures on all sides and are held in place by cables attached to metal poles buried in the ground. In addition, the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation and the Russian National Guard are considering the possibility of installing air defense systems to protect the oil and gas complex, as the director of the Department of the Ministry of Energy Artyom Verkhov said at a meeting in the Federation Council.