Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
No wonder Russia is suffering from a fuel crisis!
Long-range strike drones have hammered fuel processing facilities inside Russia at an unprecedented rate this year.
According to a Financial Times analysis based on data from the Polish group Rochan Consulting, these drones have struck oil refineries at least 194 times since early January, up to the report’s publication on July 5.
That averages more than one Russian refinery hit per day.
The aerial onslaught has triggered a severe fuel crisis across the country. The data reveals that the campaign reached a historic high point in May alone, when 16 separate facilities were successfully hit.
Remarkably, the rate of these refinery strikes during the first half of the year skyrocketed. It represents a staggering elevenfold increase over last year’s figures.
Serious strain
The Financial Times report pointed out that this campaign has continued to escalate rapidly. This surge stands in stark contrast to repeated assertions from Moscow that its military can easily shoot down almost every incoming threat.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claims that their troops intercepted nearly 64,000 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and occupied regions during the first half of the year.
These numbers show a massive increase in recent activity. Moscow claimed it downed 14,195 drones in May and 17,832 in June, whereas monthly totals earlier in the year remained well below 6,000.
A major breakthrough
The combined tracking data suggests that Ukraine is simply overwhelming Russian defenses by launching far more drones. Expert observers believe that a sudden shift in domestic manufacturing capabilities has completely changed the dynamic of the war.
“Ukraine has had a technological breakthrough, which allowed them to produce more long-range drones and increase overall mass production,” said Stefan Meister, head of the Eurasia Program at the German Council on Foreign Relations. He said this change has completely reshaped the air war.
This effort is part of a broad 40-day campaign approved directly by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Orchestrated by the Security Service of Ukraine, the plan explicitly aims to throttle Russia’s military machine by disrupting its core energy networks, logistics, and defense factories.
The pressure shows no signs of slowing down. Just last night, a fresh wave of drones struck the massive Slavneft-YANOS refinery in the Yaroslavl region, where local residents reported hearing a series of loud explosions, United24 Media reported.
