Ukraine’s Drone Blitz Hits 116 Ships in 9 Days, Shuts Russian Refineries 1,300 km from Front
Ukraine’s drone campaign has crippled Russia’s oil refining and halted its shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov, causing fuel shortages across nearly all Russian regions and spiking global diesel prices.
Ukrainian drone units, operating under a campaign called “MoLoChKa,” struck 116 small Russian oil tankers in just nine days, bringing traffic of the aging, sanctions-evading vessels on the Sea of Azov to a near halt [196078][196085]. Simultaneously, fires broke out at three major industrial sites overnight, including the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat complex—located roughly 1,300 kilometers from the front lines—and the Afipsky refinery [196082]. The Gazprom facility, which produces 150 products from gasoline to polyethylene, reported a fire in its tank farm area [196082].
The sustained strikes have pushed Russia’s oil refining output to its lowest level since 2005 [196060]. Almost every one of Russia’s 83 regions now faces gasoline shortages or supply disruptions, with many gas stations rationing fuel [191627]. Reuters reports that Russia’s gasoline production has dropped to 65 percent of summer demand, and the government has banned all diesel exports [193650].
The fuel crisis has spread beyond Russia’s borders. Central Asian nations like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which rely on Russian fuel imports, report shortages and rising prices [192304]. Farmers in Russia’s southern breadbasket are running out of diesel at the peak of harvest season, threatening significant grain losses [193964]. Global diesel prices are climbing as the disruption tightens supply ahead of winter demand [196060].