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Cover photo: The Kuibyshev refinery in Russia's Samara Region.
Several oil refineries in Russia are facing staff shortages as workers are leaving en masse due to the fear of Ukrainian drone strikes, according to a report by the publication Vot Tak.
At least seven chemical analysis lab technicians left the Kuibyshev refinery in the Samara Region after it was attacked by Ukrainian drones in late March, according to the report. Vot Tak examined the vacancies at the refinery and found that the facility's operator launched an active search for new employees in April, posting close to 50 job openings. Most of the vacancies are related to engineering specialties or technical support positions at the refinery.
At the time of the strike, Russian State Duma MP Alexander Khinshtein claimed that the attack had passed “without any real consequences.”
The report also mentioned that dozens of workers had left the Slavyansk refinery in Krasnodar Krai. In April, the refinery began actively recruiting new employees. Out of more than 120 new vacancies, half of them are related to technical support of the enterprise.
According to calculations by Reuters, around 14% of Russia's refining capacity had been shut down by drone attacks as of late March, including Kuibyshev. Russia even ramped up gasoline imports from neighbouring Belarus to address possible fuel shortages.
Russia has also banned gasoline exports for six months starting from March 1 to try to prevent a surge in domestic fuel prices.
Vot Tak (lit. “The Way It Is”) is a Russian-language affiliate of the Poland-based broadcaster Belsat. Russia’s Ministry of Justice labeled Vot Tak a “foreign agent” in January.