Ukraine is intensifying drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, causing major disruptions in fuel production, says the weekly "The Economist" on October 5. Since August, the number of strikes has been increasing, and nearly half of the Russian refineries have already been hit.
According to Argus Media estimates, 16 of 38 oil processing plants were damaged, including large complexes in Bashkiria, Jarosław and Riazana. any of them were attacked respective times. Experts estimation that up to 40% of Russia's processing capacity could have been temporarily shut down, which means a decrease in production by more than a million barrels per day.
As a result, diesel exports fell by about 30% year-on-year and reached the lowest level since 2020. In many regions of Russia, there are miles of railways at gas stations, and local authorities are introducing rationing, especially in Crimea.
Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Nowak announced at the end of September a partial ban on diesel exports and an extension of restrictions on petrol sales by the end of the year.
"Ukraine is on the wave and the Russians cannot halt it," British strategist Lawrence Freedman said. Carnegie expert Russia Eurasia Centre Sergei Wakulenko stressed that although refineries can be repaired, the current scale of attacks is unprecedented.
According to The Economist, the Ukrainian DeepStrike campaign, which uses Fire Point FP-1 drones and FP-5 maneuvering missiles, is increasingly hitting Russia's ability to fund war.
Source: The Economist
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