Ukraine has changed tactics of attacks on Russian oil infrastructure – media

Ukraine has changed the tactics of long-range strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Now the main target is not fuel tanks, but critical technological nodes, the restoration of which takes the most time.

This is reported by the Financial Times.

According to the publication, before each operation, Ukrainian drone operators consult with engineers and industry experts. They are the ones who determine the equipment whose failure will most complicate the operation of the enterprise. These include distillation columns, pipelines and other key production elements.

The goal of the new approach is not only to cause damage, but also to delay repairs as much as possible and increase Russia’s costs for restoring the oil refining industry.

The FT writes that the new strategy is being implemented after President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered to step up strikes on targets deep inside Russia. Acting Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara told the publication that Ukraine seeks to move the war to the territory of the aggressor country and increase technological pressure on its military potential.

According to the Financial Times, the preparation of the operations also relies on intelligence from the US and France. Western partners help determine the location of Russian air defense systems and the flight routes of drones.

Former Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodniuk noted that the Ukrainian military views the Russian energy infrastructure as a single system, therefore they choose targets whose destruction causes the greatest disruptions to its operation.

Another element of the tactic was repeated strikes on already damaged facilities before the completion or immediately after the start of repair work. This significantly complicates the resumption of production.

The latest example of this approach was the strike by Ukrainian long-range drones on the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Perm, located more than 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. According to the FT, the attack set fire to one of the main primary oil processing units.

As a reminder, a series of explosions were heard in Ryazan, Russia, on the morning of Wednesday, July 29, during a massive drone attack. The strikes caused major fires at at least two facilities: an oil refinery and the Wildberries sorting complex.

As reported, on the night of July 24, drones attacked St. Petersburg, the Leningrad Region, and Tver. After the explosions in the suburbs of St. Petersburg, at least two warehouses of the Wildberries company caught fire , and about 50 flights were delayed at Pulkovo Airport due to the attack.

In addition, on the night of Thursday, July 23, several Russian regions came under attack by drones. In the Ulyanovsk region, a large-scale fire broke out on the territory of a company after explosions, and in Voronezh there are reports of a new attack on logistics infrastructure . The Russian authorities have not yet officially commented on the consequences of the strikes.

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