On the night of Oct. 27, Ukrainian special operations forces attacked frontline Russian military supply facilities in the Luhansk region.
According to the Ukrainian military, the operation destroyed a frontline fuel and lubricant depot, as well as an oil depot used by the Russian army to supply equipment at the front. The Ukrainian military added drones struck when the tanks were full, significantly amplifying the explosions.
Ukraine’s military has also directed attacks at energy infrastructure deep into Russia itself.
“Oil represents about a third of Russia’s budget revenue. Any successful strikes on any part of the oil or gas infrastructure will have a knock-on effect on the budget and, in turn, on funding the Russian war machine,” Michael Bociurkiw, a global affairs analyst and Atlantic Council fellow, told Lube Report.
A senior national security official who served in the White House during Donald Trump’s first term said about 20% of Russian petrochemical complexes have been hit.
Bociurkiw said the U.S. military has been providing targeting information.
“They’re so accurate now that they’re hitting the most vital parts of the oil and gas infrastructure, or refining infrastructure,” he said.
Russian media have reported gasoline shortages in Russia’s outer regions, with rationing at gas stations.
“There may already be shortages near Moscow — getting closer and closer to the elites in St. Petersburg and Moscow,” said Bociurkiw, author of World Briefing.