Ukraine announced it conducted strikes on two Russian oil refineries and several tankers near its coastline, marking the latest in a series of attacks on critical energy infrastructure.
According to the General Staff of Ukraine, shared on Telegram, Ukrainian forces targeted the oil refinery of PJSC Rosneft in Saratov and the oil refining complex TAIF-NK in Tatarstan. Additionally, six tankers from the so-called “shadow fleet” were struck, with five in the Azov Sea and one in the Black Sea.
Earlier on Wednesday, Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, reported that Ukrainian forces had hit a total of nine Russian tankers in the Azov Sea. The agency Bloomberg was unable to independently verify this figure. Companies Rosneft and TAIF-NK did not respond to Bloomberg‘s requests for comments on the refinery strikes.
Expansion of strike geography and their impact
In recent weeks, Ukraine has been conducting near-daily strikes on Russian oil refineries, aiming to diminish the enemy’s fuel production capacity and compel the Kremlin to negotiate. The scope of these attacks has significantly widened: Kyiv is targeting oil refining facilities thousands of kilometers from its border, including the Omsk Refinery in western Siberia.
These strikes have resulted in the shutdown of several key Russian refineries, contributing to a nationwide gasoline shortage. President Vladimir Putin‘s government has imposed a ban on the export of nearly all gasoline and aviation fuel and is considering extending restrictions to diesel fuel exports.
Authorities in the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk, where the TAIF-NK refinery is located, reported damage to unspecified industrial facilities following a nighttime drone attack. This facility has a design capacity of approximately 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
Yuriy Slyusar, governor of the southern Rostov region of Russia, stated that drones struck two tankers in Taganrog Bay of the Azov Sea. Two individuals were injured, but since the vessels were empty, there was no leakage of petroleum products.
The strikes in the Azov Sea this week “represent a significant escalation of the maritime threat to Ukraine and a real change in how this war is being waged at sea”, stated maritime intelligence firm Ambrey in its statement. “Retaliatory Russian attacks on commercial shipping linked to Ukraine are a real possibility.”
Source: Bloomberg
