Russia Now Hauls Fuel to Front in Bread Vans After Ukrainian Drones Torch 2 Refineries
Russia has banned the use of military uniforms on fuel trucks and is now delivering gasoline and diesel to the front line in civilian bread vans and ambulances, after Ukrainian drone strikes ignited two major oil refineries in the past week.
Ukrainian drone attacks have caused fires at key Russian oil refineries, forcing the military to abandon standard fuel convoys. A strike on a Rosneft refinery in Ryazan set vacuum distillation units ablaze, cutting supplies of gasoline, diesel, and jet kerosene to the Moscow region [149502]. Separately, a drone hit a refinery in Syzran, setting its processing unit on fire; that facility supplies fuel directly to Russia’s armed forces [154166].
In response, Russia has prohibited military personnel from driving fuel trucks in uniform, fearing they are easy targets for Ukrainian reconnaissance. Instead, troops are now transporting fuel in unmarked bread vans and ambulances to avoid detection [167017]. Civilian fuel rationing is already visible in Crimea and the Kursk and Belgorod regions [167017].