The Financial Times
Ukraine is striking Russian energy infrastructure at an unprecedented rate, according to an FT data analysis showing that Kyiv’s intensified long-range drone campaign has reshaped the war’s economic front. The attacks have knocked out refining capacity across several regions, forcing fuel rationing in areas that had been largely insulated from the conflict.
The campaign marks a shift in strategy. Where earlier strikes were sporadic and symbolic, the current wave is systematic and data-driven, targeting the throughput bottlenecks that keep the Russian war economy running.
Analysts point to three converging factors: cheaper long-range drones, better targeting intelligence, and a deliberate focus on hard-to-repair components.
“They are no longer hitting the building — they are hitting the one part of the building that takes a year to replace,” said one energy analyst.
| Region | Strikes | Capacity offline |
|---|---|---|
| Volga | 14 | 22% |
| Urals | 9 | 17% |
| South | 21 | 31% |
Russia’s refining sector was already strained by sanctions limiting access to replacement parts.
total_offline = sum(region.capacity for region in strikes)
print(f"{total_offline:.0%} of national throughput")The trend, if it holds, could force difficult choices in Moscow between fuelling the front and fuelling the economy behind it.