In January and December, drones targeted Russian oil refineries and depots in eight separate attacks, three times more than in the previous two months, analysis of open-source material by The i Paper suggests.
On Wednesday, four Ukrainian drones targeted the Kstovo Oil Refinery in Nizhny Novgorod, approximately 500 miles from the front lines in eastern Ukraine
In December, Ukrainian drones targeted oil depots and refineries in Smolensk, Oryol, Bryansk, and Rostov — an area that had previously been targeted in July. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces claimed that the July attack on the Rostov refinery destroyed 1.5 million tons of oil and oil products worth $540 million (£433m).
Although attacks on oil refineries last year had appeared to be having little impact on Russia’s energy sector, a recent report found that Russian seaborne oil product exports fell nearly 10 per cent in 2024.
People run from an explosion in Ryazan, south-east of Moscow (Photo: Social Media/via Reuters)
The UK has issued a series of sanctions, targeting 20 vessels involved in the transportation of Russian oil in December, which is expected to reduce Russia’s oil exports by over four million barrels in 2024. Meanwhile, the US has ramped up its own production of oil and encouraged other countries to do the same, a strategy that would push down crude prices and choke a key revenue source for Moscow’s war effort.
“The Biden administration, far from facilitating this, was actively opposing it, and trying to retrain Ukraine from doing too much damage to Russia’s energy industry.
According to The i Paper’s analysis, Ukraine has launched more than 80 separate attacks on Russian oil refineries and depots since the start of 2024. The first strike of took place on 19 January, shortly after Kyiv announced its intention to target deep into Russian territory.
Ukrainian drones strike one of Russia's largest oil refineries
Read MoreA major component of Ukraine’s offensive strategy targeting oil has been the use of cheap-to-make first-person-view drones.
In January, Ukrainian officials claimed that its military now had drone models capable of reaching targets up to 1,500 miles inside Russia. “Our main goal is to conduct strikes on logistics hubs in the rear, ammunition warehouses, and decrease our enemy’s pressure on the front,” said a battalion commander from Ukraine’s 14th Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment.
“The less revenue Russia receives from oil and other energy resources, the sooner peace will be restored,” Zelensky posted on Telegram on 10 January.
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