Moscow court orders Yandex to hide oil refinery on maps after Ukrainian drone attacks

A court in Moscow has for the first time ordered Yandex to block access to maps and photographs of the infrastructure of one of Russia's largest oil refineries due to the threat of attacks by Ukrainian drones.

Source: The Moscow Times, citing Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency TASS

Details: The court ruling mandates that Yandex has one month to "restrict informational access" to the infrastructure of the refinery by removing or retouching images of its components – such as workshops, compressor stations, tank fields, and other parts of the plant – from Yandex Maps.

The lawsuit was filed by a "supervisory authority" conducting checks on defence-industrial sector legislation, which discovered publicly available information about the refinery’s facilities.

The lawsuit points out that the refinery in question "operates continuously, meeting the needs of the Russian military and navy during the special military operation [as the war against Ukraine is called in Russia – ed.]". It also notes that the refinery has been attacked four times by Ukrainian drones in 2024, causing damage to its infrastructure and injuries to its employees.

Before approaching the court, the supervisory authority tried to resolve the issue directly with Yandex, but to no avail. The court ruled that open access to maps and images of the refinery "undermines the country’s defence capabilities" and "negatively impacts the timely supply of materials" to the Russian army. Yandex was also fined with a state duty.

In 2024, Ukraine focused on targeting Russia's fuel and energy sector. According to the Financial Times, by October, at least nine out of Russia's 32 largest refineries, in addition to oil depots, had been hit. The peak of these attacks occurred in May, when, according to Sergey Vakulenko of the Carnegie Eurasia Center, 17% of the country's oil refining capacity was knocked out.

The court ruling specifically concerns the Ryazan Oil Refinery, part of Rosneft. This refinery processes 17.1 million tonnes of oil annually and is one of the primary suppliers of motor fuel to regions around Moscow.

As a result of the Ukrainian drone attacks, oil refining volumes in Russia are expected to hit a 12-year low in 2024, dropping to 266.9 million tonnes – 8.1 million tonnes less than the previous year, according to Reuters.

Background: Based on the 2024 results, oil refining at Russian refineries is expected to reach 266.9 million tonnes, factoring in December trends. This marks a decrease of 8.1 million tonnes compared to 2023, reflecting a 3.2% drop in daily production.

Support UP or become our patron!