INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ukraine has escalated its drone attacks on Russian oil refineries since the beginning of the year in an effort to cripple Russia's economy
and constrain fuel supplies to its military.Despite the increased intensity of these strikes, experts who spoke to The Moscow Times agree
that their impact on the Russian economy has so far been negligible
attacks.Expanding attack rangeSince the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian energy infrastructure has been attacked over 37
times, with about 80% of these attacks hitting their target, according to Deutsche Welle.Drone attacks have intensified in recent months,
Peterburg, about 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, affecting its operations for several weeks.The attacks reached a peak in March
when a Lukoil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod was hit, cutting its production capacity by 50%
third-largest refinery in the republic of Tatarstan, some 1,300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.This latest strike showed for the first
sanctions, remains a key revenue source for the Kremlin
Additionally, these raids serve as direct retaliation for Russia's airstrikes on Ukraine's power grid, a campaign that has escalated in
recent weeks.According to the Financial Times, the U.S
urged Ukraine to stop striking Russian refineries because of concerns that they could drive up global oil prices
drone attacks, resulting in a roughly 12% decline of gasoline production
As a result, gasoline prices have reached a six-month high in early April.Smoke rises over the Ryazan oil refinery hit by fire
Alexander Ryumin / TASSHowever, according to experts, it is unlikely that the Russian military will experience a fuel shortage in the
March 1, to address the potential threat of rising fuel prices amid seasonal increases in demand
Additionally, Russia has entered negotiations with Belarus to increase gasoline imports, Reuters reported.Drone attacks have led to reduced
Vakulenko noted that this may not impact the state budget because Russia can compensate for decreases in refined petroleum product exports
by increasing its export of crude oil
attacking oil refineries, the related export revenue disappears, but that is not true
Depending on the extent of the damage, repairs can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.Ukrainian attacks have focused on
damaged in the Ryazan oil refinery on March 13, one of which has already been reactivated.Experts agreed that the long-term outcome of these
In this scenario, unable to claim victory, both sides aim to wear down the enemy's defense, economic and industrial capabilities while
expending minimal resources.As the supply of weapons from the West has dried up in recent months, Ukraine has scaled up domestic production
systems, which are less precise than GPS-guided systems but cannot be jammed.Ukraine is reportedly incorporating AI components into its
oil refinery in Tatarstan.Social mediaForcing Russia to divert air defense capabilities like its Pantsir anti-aircraft systems from military
given the high cost of air defense missiles, they are not suitable for countering low-cost drones
As a result, mobile groups equipped with anti-aircraft guns are reportedly being set up as a cheaper alternative to combat drone
energy companies invested about 1 billion rubles ($10.8 million) on anti-drone systems, including anti-drone guns, electronic detection
the meantime, drone strikes on Russian territory have had a significant psychological impact
