BBC:
Ukraine has dramatically increased the number of attacks launched against Russian oil refineries in recent months, sparking fuel shortages and price rises in some parts of the country, BBC Verify and BBC Russian have found.
Drone strikes on refineries – some deep inside Russia – soared in August and remained high in September, an analysis of Russian media reports and verified footage showed.
Some 21 of the country’s 38 large refineries – where crude oil is converted into useable fuel like petrol and diesel – have been hit since January, with successful attacks already 48% higher than the whole of 2024.
Ordinary Russians appear to be feeling the impact of the strikes, with verified videos showing long queues at petrol stations. Some garages have suspended operations to “wait out the crisis” rather than work at a loss, one manager told Russian media.
Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, did not respond to a request for comment. But President Volodymyr Zelensky has said damaging Russia’s oil industry is a key means of forcing Russia to the negotiating table.
“The most effective sanctions – the ones that work the fastest – are the fires at Russia’s oil refineries, its terminals, oil depots,” the Ukrainian leader said in a September address. “We have significantly restricted Russia’s oil industry, and this significantly restricts the war.”
Our analysis shows reported attacks reached a record level in August, with 14 refineries targeted by Ukrainian drones, and eight in September. The increase came after a brief lull coinciding with a flurry of diplomacy, during which President Donald Trump attempted to broker a ceasefire deal between Kyiv and Moscow.
