Ukraine says a series of long-range strikes has put 51% of Russia’s oil-refining capacity out of action, a claim that has not been independently verified and is only partly acknowledged by Moscow.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said the attacks targeted refineries and related facilities in Moscow, Yaroslavl, Ust-Luga, Perm, Saratov, Syzran and other locations. Kyiv described the campaign as a major blow to Russia’s economy and its ability to supply military forces. Russian authorities have not released their own estimate of infrastructure damage, but President Vladimir Putin said on October 1 that refinery attacks had cost Russia about 1% of gross domestic product.
Putin characterized the attacks’ economic effect as only partial, suggesting Moscow disputes Kyiv’s assessment of the broader impact. The strikes come after months of Ukrainian drone attacks on energy facilities across Russia. The International Energy Agency said Russian refinery throughput fell to its lowest level in more than two decades in June, while gasoline output dropped about 20% and diesel production nearly 30% from a year earlier.
Moscow has responded with fuel-export restrictions and other measures intended to protect domestic supplies.