Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities have led to a ban on gasoline exports.

Since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian intelligence services have carried out nearly 160 successful strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Due to these attacks, approximately 37% of oil refining capacity is idle, leading to fuel shortages in 57 Russian regions and prompting Russian authorities to ban gasoline exports until the end of the year.

This was reported by the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, during a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to Malyuk, 20 oil infrastructure facilities were disabled in September and October:

• 6 oil refineries;

• 2 oil terminals;

• 3 oil depots;

• 9 oil pumping stations.

The head of the SBU noted that such strikes are aimed at weakening the Russian military’s financial base: “90% of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s budget is devoted to oil production and refining.” According to him, hitting these facilities directly reduces Russia’s ability to wage war.

Malysh noted that operations are complicated by the presence of a powerful Russian air defense system. The Pantsir system is particularly effective against Ukrainian long-range drones. At the same time, according to his data, the Ukrainian Armed Forces and special services have destroyed 48% of enemy Pantsir systems since the beginning of the year. Malysh emphasized that this is a priority, and despite the enemy being able to produce around 30 such systems per year, the rate of their destruction exceeds production targets.

The head of the SBU announced continued work on new methods for targeting critical infrastructure: new assets, combat units, and communication channels are being introduced to improve the effectiveness of operations. The goal is the systemic weakening of Russia’s economic and military capabilities.

As a reminder, on the night of October 22 , the Defense Forces attacked a number of strategic facilities in Russian regions, specifically, the Saransk Mechanical Plant and the Makhachkala Oil Refinery.

As reported, on Sunday, October 19, the Novokuibyshevsk Oil Refinery, located in the Samara region, halted operations as a result of an attack by Ukrainian drones.

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