In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing conflict, Ukraine has intensified its campaign to cripple Russia’s energy infrastructure, launching a series of deep strikes on oil refineries and fuel facilities that have sent shockwaves through Russia’s economy and military logistics. Over the past week, Ukrainian drones have targeted key Russian oil sites, igniting fires, halting production, and exacerbating fuel shortages across the country, according to reports from Reuters, Business Insider, and DW.
The most recent and perhaps most audacious attack occurred on Thursday, September 18, 2025, when Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat petrochemical facility in Bashkortostan. This site, one of Russia’s largest oil refineries and petrochemical plants, sits over 1,300 kilometers (about 800 miles) from Ukrainian-controlled territory—a testament to Kyiv’s growing capability to project force deep into Russian territory. Local governor Radiy Khabirov confirmed that the attack set the facility on fire, though no casualties were reported. Footage on social media showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing from the site, underscoring the severity of the strike.
Just hours before, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces had targeted another major refinery in Russia’s southwestern Volgograd region, approximately 300 miles from the front lines. According to the Ukrainian command, the attack forced the Volgograd refinery—which processes 15.7 million tons of oil annually, accounting for nearly 6% of Russia’s total oil processing capacity—to shut down. These strikes are part of a broader campaign that has seen Ukraine launch 17 attacks against 11 Russian refineries since early July, as noted by Kyle Glen of the UK-based Centre for Information Resilience.
The impact of these attacks has been swift and far-reaching. Russian state newspaper Izvestiya reported that fuel shortages have now spread to at least 10 Russian republics and regions, including Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Rostov, and occupied Crimea. Many petrol stations have reportedly gone weeks without deliveries, forcing closures and leaving motorists scrambling for fuel. Glen told Business Insider, "Fuel prices at the pump are skyrocketing in several regions of Russia as a result of this campaign. I’ve seen evidence of fuel shortages in regions all across Russia, as well as the occupied regions of Ukraine."
Ukraine’s strategy is twofold: choke off the Russian military’s fuel supplies and cut off the Kremlin’s vital energy revenues. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the stakes clear in a recent address: "The most effective sanctions—the ones that work the fastest—are the fires at Russia’s oil refineries, its terminals, oil depots. Russia’s war is essentially a function of oil, of gas, of all its other energy resources." He added pointedly, "The Russian war machine will only stop when it runs out of fuel. And Putin will begin to stop it himself when he himself truly feels that the resources for war are running out."
The numbers bear out the intensity of Ukraine’s campaign. Since the start of 2025, Ukrainian forces have struck at least 10 major Russian refineries, resulting in the loss of about one-fifth of Russia’s refining capacity, according to the commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. On September 14, Ukraine crippled Russia’s second-largest refinery, Kirishinefteorgsintez, by hitting a processing unit responsible for 40% of its capacity. The facility, which last year produced 7.1 million tonnes of diesel and 6.1 million tonnes of fuel oil for ships, is now operating at only three-quarters capacity. Two days later, Ukraine struck the Saratov refinery, a key supplier to the Russian military.
These attacks are not just about disrupting fuel supplies for tanks and trucks. They also aim to suffocate the financial lifeblood of the Russian state. Oil and gas revenues have historically accounted for between a third and half of Russia’s federal budget, according to Reuters. The recent strike on Russia’s largest oil offloading terminal at Primorsk on the Baltic Sea forced the facility to suspend shipments, while attacks on the Transneft Baltic Pipeline System-2 have threatened crude oil flows to export terminals in Ust-Luga, Leningrad region.
Russia’s attempts to adapt have been hampered by the scale and frequency of the strikes. Since February 2025, Moscow has banned all exports of refined petroleum products, seeking instead to boost crude oil exports. However, industry sources told Reuters that Transneft, Russia’s biggest pipeline operator, has warned oil producers they may have to cut output due to degraded storage and transport capabilities—a claim Transneft has dismissed as “fake news.”
The EU’s response has been mixed but is showing signs of hardening. After 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on September 10, Poland called for a complete ban on Russian oil imports to the European Union. While most EU countries have already banned Russian oil, Hungary and Slovakia remain exempt until the end of 2027. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will soon present its 19th package of sanctions, aiming to speed up the phase-out of Russian fossil imports. Yet, as the London-based think tank Ember points out, the EU paid Russia $23.6 billion for gas in 2024—nearly $5 billion more than it gave Ukraine in military aid.
On the battlefield, the situation remains fluid. Russian forces have captured three villages—Sosnovka and Novonikolayevka in Dnipropetrovsk, and Olhivske in Zaporizhia—prompting Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii to dismiss the officers in charge of the 17th and 20th army corps. This may signal a tougher stance toward territorial losses. Despite these setbacks, Zelenskyy reported significant Russian losses in Kupiansk and Dobropillia, and Ukrainian defenders advancing toward the Russian border in Sumy. Heavy fighting continues near Dobropillia and Pokrovsk, with Zelenskyy noting, "Our forces are depriving the occupier of the opportunity to carry out a full-fledged offensive operation, which they had been planning for a long time and counting on."
Meanwhile, the human toll remains staggering. On September 18, a Russian guided bomb killed five people in Kostiantynivka, eastern Ukraine, and debris from a downed Russian drone damaged trolley bus lines in Kyiv the following day, though no injuries were reported. In a somber development, Ukraine received the bodies of 1,000 fallen soldiers from Russia, underscoring the conflict’s relentless cost.
As Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign continues, the war’s economic and human dimensions are becoming ever more intertwined. The strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure have not only dealt a blow to Moscow’s military machine but have also exposed the vulnerabilities of an economy heavily dependent on oil and gas. With both sides escalating their attacks and the EU considering even tougher sanctions, the coming weeks may prove pivotal in shaping the next phase of this protracted conflict.