US EditionDrones, Oil and Escalation: Ukraine’s Deep Strikes Impact Russia, Altering War Calculations
Ukraine's Security Service reports over 160 successful drone strikes in 2025, causing a 20% fuel shortage and shutting down 37% of Russia's refining capacity.
- Ukraine's homegrown strike capability enables independent drone launches without Western approval, and Kyiv says the strikes aim to force Russia to reroute supplies, stretch air defenses and degrade Moscow's operations.
- The strikes have hit major refineries and trimmed refining capacity, analysts say, with 16 major Russian refineries targeted and the International Energy Agency estimating cuts of about 500,000 barrels a day.
- Gasoline shortages and rationing have appeared in parts of Russia following repeated attacks on refineries, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the strikes forced the Kremlin to import fuel and curb exports, causing a 20% gasoline supply loss.
- Drones now routinely fly 1,000 kilometers, shifting the geography of the conflict, but Fidel and operators say fewer than 30% reach targets, and Western analysts call the effect serious but not crippling.
88 Articles
88 Articles
Ukrainian refinery strikes spark Russian fuel crisis and erode Putin’s energy advantage
fter Ukraine’s security services began sustained attacks on oil processing facilities, Russia has been hit by a widespread fuel crunch. According to experts, since August 2025, 21 of the country’s 38 largest refineries have been targeted by Ukrainian drones. Many plants — including the Kirishi, Ryazan, Afipsky and Novoshakhtinsk refineries — have been struck multiple times. Ukrainian analyst Petro Oleshchuk said the fuel crisis could become a tr…
In a secret site in the rural area of Ukraine, columns of attack drones are assembled at night and almost in total silence to attack in the depths of Russia. Their objectives are strategic: oil refineries, fuel tanks and military logistics centers. Since the summer, Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign intensified dramatically, affecting the energy infrastructure of all Russia and testing Moscow’s air defenses. Built with pieces made from a scatt…
Zelensky: ‘We’ll Definitely Implement Everything’ – Kyiv Readies New Long-Range Strikes
After meeting with the heads of Ukraine’s security and intelligence services, Ukraine’s President Zelensky said Ukraine is preparing new long-range strikes on key targets inside Russia.
Ukrainian drones struck several Russian cities on Friday, including Vladimir, Yaroslavl and Orel, targeting key energy infrastructure. In Orel, drones hit a thermal power plant and in Vladimir, an electrical substation. In Yaroslavl, explosions were reported near the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery, Russia's fifth-largest.
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