Oil plant in Russia's Bashkortostan stopped its cat cracker after drone attack 9 May, sources say

Oil plant in Russia's Bashkortostan stopped its cat cracker after drone attack 9 May, sources say

Russia's Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat oil processing, petrochemical and fertiliser complex located in the Bashkortostan region has stopped its catalytic cracker after being attacked by a drone on 9 May, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The catalytic cracker is part of gasoline production chain responsible for 600,000 tons of output of this product at Salavat which in total is capable of producing about 1.5 million tons of gasoline in a year.

"A building with a pumping room for the catalytic cracker was hit. The cracker unit itself stayed secure so nothing is critical. Going to fix it in one to one and a half weeks", a source said on condition of anonymitiy as he was not authorused to talk to media.

Salavat's press-service declined to comment.

Radiy Khabirov, the region's head, said on his Telegram channel on Thursday the plant was functioning as usual.

The state RIA news agency, citing emergency services, said the drone attack had damaged a pumping station building at the plant, but that nobody had been injured.

Salavat complex refinery runs was 6,498 million tons in 2023 - 2,36% of overall oil processing in Russia.

Ukraine has stepped up its drone attacks on oil processing facilities in Russia since the start of the year. Moscow says the attacks amount to terrorism and has launched what it said are revenge strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure in response.

Ukraine says the oil facilities are legitimate targets which aid Russia's military effort.