Russia's oil processing is being degraded as sanctions prevent the refining industry from recovering from more intense and precise Ukrainian drone strikes.
That is according to the International Energy Agency, Ukrinform reports, citing Bloomberg.
"It now appears likely that the persistent drone strikes and the patchwork nature of repairs are having a cumulative negative effect and degrading the [Russian] refining system," the agency said in its monthly oil market report published on Friday.
Ukraine has been attacking Russia's energy infrastructure to reduce the nation's ability to process and export crude and curtail the Kremlin's revenues used to finance the full-scale invasion. In August, the Russian oil refineries were hit at least 22 times, the highest monthly total since the start of the war, according to a Bloomberg tally based on public statements from both nations.
The IEA revised down its baseline outlook for Russian oil processing over the next 18 months to around 4 million barrels a day, down 30% from levels before the invasion of Ukraine, it said.
