Ukraine's strikes on Russian fuel infrastructure deepen petrol shortages
Ukraine's long-range drone campaign against Russian fuel infrastructure has intensified since May, contributing to petrol shortages across parts of Russia and in occupied Crimea. According to the supplied analysis, the strikes have hit refineries, fuel depots and oil tankers in the Black Sea, forcing some sites to pause production. The result has been an unusual move for one of the world's largest oil producers: Russia has begun importing consumer petrol, mostly from India, to help cover shortfalls.
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The analysis says there were reports in June of at least six strikes on oil refineries and seven on fuel depots in Russia. It adds that Ukraine has carried out at least 10 direct hits on refineries so far in July, with some facilities suffering large fires and repairs expected to take months. Last week, Reuters reported that Russian fuel production was covering about 65% of demand for this time of year, based on interviews with industry sources.
The pattern has also affected transport and distribution, with repeated attacks on tankers used to supply fuel by sea. The shortages are described as especially acute in Russian-occupied Crimea. At the end of June, Russian-installed authorities there suspended sales of petrol to civilians and prioritised supplies for military vehicles.
Fuel is again available to drivers on the peninsula, but supplies are intermittent and prices have risen. Rosstat, Russia's state statistical office, reported that petrol prices around Sevastopol, the peninsula's largest city, increased by 30% in the last week of June alone. Across Russia, more than 20 regions have reported shortages since last month, and some have introduced sales restrictions.
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The developments matter because they show how Ukraine is using long-range strikes to target a sector that is central to Russia's domestic economy and military logistics. Fuel availability affects transport, agriculture, industry and the movement of military vehicles, making refinery and depot attacks more than a symbolic disruption. The need to import consumer petrol also suggests pressure on Russia's refining system at a time when the country remains under sanctions and wartime strain.
For occupied Crimea, where fuel has already been rationed for civilians, the shortages underline the peninsula's dependence on supply routes that can be disrupted from the air and at sea. The campaign also fits into a broader pattern of infrastructure warfare that has developed during the conflict. Ukraine has increasingly used long-range drones to strike targets deep inside Russian territory, seeking to stretch air defences and impose economic costs.
The supplied analysis says the tactic has been intensified since May, with the June and July figures indicating a sustained effort rather than isolated attacks. That makes the fuel sector a continuing front in the war, alongside the battlefield fighting and the nightly drone and missile exchanges described in the analysis. The impact on consumers is already visible in prices and access.
Rosstat figures cited in the analysis show consumer petrol prices across Russia are, on average, almost 20% higher than at the same time last year. In Sevastopol, the 30% weekly rise reported at the end of June points to how quickly local markets can be affected when supply is interrupted. The fact that some regions have introduced sales restrictions suggests authorities are trying to manage demand as well as supply.
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What remains unclear is how far the shortages will spread, how long repairs at damaged facilities will take, and whether Russia will need to expand imports further. It is also not clear how much additional pressure the strikes may place on occupied Crimea if attacks on tankers and refineries continue. The next indicators to watch are refinery output, regional rationing measures, and whether fuel imports rise beyond the small quantities reported so far.
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