Types of fuel in Moscow. Photo: Reuters
Moscow will be without a third of gasoline and diesel this year
The Moscow refinery, which annually produces three million tons of gasoline and even more diesel, had to stop operations for six months due to an attack by Ukrainian drones. An important part of Ukraine’s war strategy is to damage the Russian economy by attacking refineries. About twenty of them have burned so far.
June 24, 2026, 10:16 p.m
The refinery, which is near Moscow and supplies 35 percent of the gasoline and diesel needs of the capital of 12 million people, had to suspend operations for six months after it was badly damaged by Ukrainian drones a few days ago. This is reported by the news agency Reuters, which refers to sources close to the local authorities.
Will Crimea soon be ripe for liberation?
Ukrainian attacks on refineries and other oil infrastructure are also causing fuel shortages and price increases in other parts of Russia. The worst is in Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, because on this peninsula, Ukrainian drones systematically attack everything, only to disable the supply of fuels, as a result of which there is no more gasoline and diesel at gas stations in Crimea. Even with attacks on roads and railways leading to Crimea, the Ukrainian army is preparing for the moment when Crimea should fall like a ripe fruit and become part of Ukraine again.
Ukrainian strategy
Weakening Crimea, which is Putin’s biggest trophy, and hurting the Russian economy by attacking refineries and other oil infrastructure are two important goals of Ukraine’s war strategy. The third is that the drones destroy the supply routes of the Russian army, which is on the front.
The fourth is the destruction of the living force. Thus, the Russian army is said to lose 30,000 soldiers per month, either due to death or due to serious wounds, also mainly due to drone attacks. The Ukrainian army is said to be very close to this goal, and Putin is struggling because he has to acquire 30,000 new recruits every month. So far, he avoided mobilizing in Moscow and St. Petersburg, where the February Revolution broke out in 1917, in the middle of the First World War, and threw the Tsar from power.
Otherwise, the Ukrainian army also has problems filling losses, but that’s why they have excellent drones, which will probably make any Russian summer offensive unsuccessful, since tanks are also a very easy target for drones. Apparently, the Ukrainian army will rely more and more on robots on the ground, which managed to capture some Russian soldiers a few weeks ago.
