Hennadii Riabtsev, Director of Special Projects at the Psychea Scientific and Technical Center, said in a comment to Espreso about the recent drone strike on the Orenburg gas processing plant.“There’s damage (at the Orenburg GPP), but it can be fixed within days. I don’t see much sense in overanalyzing isolated attacks on individual facilities in Russia,” Riabtsev said. “If you’ve started targeting oil refineries, why are substations and gas plants on the list too? It’s unclear who coordinates these operations — it feels like everyone’s acting on their own.”The Orenburg plant, one of the world’s largest gas-processing facilities, may have been targeted in response to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure. However, according to Riabtsev, Ukraine should not attempt “mirror responses” to Russia’s strikes, as it lacks comparable resources — instead, it must choose targets more strategically.“Trying to respond symmetrically is idiotic. Russia, with its much greater capacity, couldn’t cripple Ukraine’s energy sector. Are we seriously hoping to disable Russia’s energy system with a few drones and missiles?” Riabtsev noted. “If we want to ease pressure on Ukraine’s Defense Forces, why hit substations? They’re repaired within hours.”Oil refineries are military targets — substations are civilian infrastructureThe expert stressed that gas-processing facilities and power substations are civilian targets.“Such facilities can hardly be called military. Yes, Russia strikes civilian infrastructure, but if we do the same, it gives them a propaganda card to play,” he said. “Refineries, on the other hand, are legitimate military targets — they provide fuel for Russian tanks, aircraft, drones, and trucks.”Riabtsev noted that of 32 Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, only nine were truly effective — leading to temporary shutdowns of certain production units.“That doesn’t mean we should stop. Attacks on refineries destabilize Russia’s economy. If we’re already hitting them, we must stay consistent,” he added. “These strikes are the right approach — they hurt Russia’s fuel supply, and we should amplify their psychological and informational impact.”What’s known about the Orenburg strikeOn the night of October 19, 2025, Ukrainian drones reportedly hit the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant, damaging one of its workshops. Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry confirmed that the plant temporarily stopped accepting raw gas from the Karachaganak field.Local media reported smoke visible on October 20, although emergency officials denied reports of a fire.The Orenburg plant, owned by Gazprom, is one of the largest gas-chemical complexes in the world, capable of processing 37.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year. It lies about 1,500 km from the front line. Until January 2025, gas from the facility was exported to the EU via Ukraine.