Ukraine’s refinery strikes test Russia’s wartime confidence
Drone attacks on Russian energy sites have fed fuel shortages and prompted a more anxious tone among pro-Kremlin voices, Al Jazeera reported.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
Ukraine’s repeated strikes on Russian refineries and fuel depots are putting visible strain on Moscow’s home front, according to Al Jazeera. The attacks have contributed to fuel shortages across Russia and softened the triumphant tone long used by some of the Kremlin’s loudest supporters.
Al Jazeera reported from Moscow that a taxi driver identified only as Anatoly said he had been buying expensive, poor-quality gasoline in recent weeks. He blamed the shortages on Russian military missteps and Ukraine’s near-daily attacks on energy facilities, saying Kyiv had hit Russia hard.
Russia’s top military leadership has not commented publicly on the strikes, Al Jazeera reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on June 28 that Ukrainian drone attacks were creating problems, while saying the fuel shortage was not critical and that damaged sites were being repaired quickly.
Pro-Kremlin voices turn more anxious
Al Jazeera said some prominent Kremlin backers have begun preparing audiences for a harder phase of the war. Vladimir Solovyov, a Rossiya 1 television host known for hawkish commentary, said in mid-June that Russians needed to be ready for hardship and sacrifice.
Military bloggers have been more blunt, according to Al Jazeera, citing their closer view of battlefield conditions. A Telegram blogger using the name Prizrak Novorossii argued in late June that Russia needed a large mobilisation effort because Ukrainians were using long-range drone strikes and technologies that Moscow was still trying to match.
The prospect of mobilisation has alarmed some Russian families. A woman from Tula identified by Al Jazeera as Kseniya said she feared her son could be drafted and that her family lacked the money to send him abroad.
Analysts point to air defence gaps
Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher at Germany’s Bremen University, told Al Jazeera that Moscow invested heavily in offensive systems such as modified Iranian-designed Shahed drones and Iskander ballistic missiles. He said those weapons allow Russia to hit Ukraine, but do not solve Russia’s need to defend territory far from the front.
Mitrokhin said Russia would need thousands of mobile Pantsir air defence systems, trained crews and sufficient missiles to form layered protection along the front, the Ukrainian border and the Black Sea coast. He told Al Jazeera that Russia does not have that capacity and is unlikely to obtain it soon, meaning effective Ukrainian strikes are likely to continue.
He also said Russia lacks an equivalent to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite modems, which allow some Ukrainian drones to be controlled manually from long distances. Western sanctions have also limited Russia’s ability to expand weapons production, Mitrokhin told Al Jazeera.
Russia keeps striking Ukrainian cities
Al Jazeera reported that Russian attacks this week killed dozens of people across Ukraine, including in Kyiv. In one case, an Iskander missile exploded near the apartment building of Kyiv resident Vitaly Yarokhno early Thursday, shattering windows, wrecking furniture and burning cars, while he, his wife and son escaped with minor injuries.
Other analysts cited by Al Jazeera said Russia’s difficulties reflect a rigid political and military system facing a more decentralised Ukrainian war effort. Pavel Luzin of the Jamestown Foundation said Moscow can focus resources on specific priorities, but struggles to apply lessons with the same flexibility as Ukraine.
Al Jazeera also cited Russian economist Vyacheslav Inozemtsev, a Kremlin critic, who said Russia’s economic and political pressures resemble a tightly wound spring. The report linked those pressures to battlefield losses, a record budget deficit, economic decline and a continuing crackdown on dissent.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.