Gasoline has vanished from all public filling stations in Novorossiysk, with only diesel remaining, highlighting deepening fuel shortages across Russia. This scarcity is impacting daily life, with public transport reducing air conditioning, taxi fares increasing, and fewer vehicles on the road. While the general public faces these restrictions, motorists with corporate fuel cards and priority access for government officials and state employees persist in some regions, suggesting a deliberate redirection of limited resources. These fuel issues coincide with Ukraine’s sustained efforts to disrupt Russian logistics, leading to a significant reduction in Russia’s oil refining capacity and gasoline production.
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During a 48-hour operation on July 1-2, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces successfully targeted 12 power substations and one gas distribution station across Russian-occupied territories. These strikes, which hit facilities in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, are part of an ongoing campaign to disrupt Russian logistics and isolate Crimea. The operation also included a strike on a fuel depot in Melitopol, contributing to an escalating energy crisis on the peninsula. This action follows a pattern of successful Ukrainian drone attacks on energy infrastructure, making it increasingly difficult for Moscow to maintain control and respond to ongoing crises.
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Within a 48-hour period on July 1 and July 2, Ukrainian drones systematically targeted and disabled 12 electrical substations and one gas distribution station across occupied territories, including Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk regions. These strikes, according to the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, are part of a broader campaign to disrupt the energy infrastructure supporting the Russian military. This operation follows previous deep-penetration drone strikes on Russian energy and military infrastructure, demonstrating a sustained effort to degrade Russian capabilities.
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Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy and logistics infrastructure are creating “problems,” acknowledged President Vladimir Putin, noting a current, though not critical, shortage of fuel. These intensified attacks, including one of the heaviest drone assaults targeting 12 Russian regions and occupied Crimea, are reportedly amplified by Ukraine’s efforts to degrade Russia’s air defenses. Amidst these challenges and a reported high willingness among Russian citizens to end the war, Putin maintains a stance against a mutual ceasefire, viewing Ukrainian proposals as attempts to compensate for their perceived weaknesses and personnel shortages.
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It’s quite something to witness the ripple effects of conflict, isn’t it? We’re seeing Russia, a nation that once projected such unshakeable strength, now grappling with palpable fuel shortages, a situation directly linked to Ukraine’s targeted strikes. Vladimir Putin himself has, for the first time in a significant way, acknowledged these disruptions. He stated quite plainly that strikes on critical infrastructure, particularly energy facilities, are indeed creating problems, admitting to “a certain shortage,” though he quickly qualified it as “not critical.”
This acknowledgment, however small, carries weight because it comes after a period where such issues were seemingly downplayed or ignored.… Continue reading
Ukraine’s armed forces have successfully struck two Russian oil refineries overnight, a feat President Volodymyr Zelensky described as “long-range sanctions” against Moscow. Drone operations targeted the Slavyansk oil refinery in Krasnodar region, approximately 300 kilometers from the front line, and another refinery in the Yaroslavl region, situated roughly 700 kilometers inside Russian territory. These operations aim to weaken Russia’s capacity to wage war by reducing its resources, with continued responses planned against Russian terror.
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Overnight on June 28, Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted a drone attack targeting the Slavyansk oil refinery in Russia’s Slavyansk-na-Kubani. Social media shared images depicting significant flames at the refinery, with regional authorities attributing the fire to falling debris. This incident is part of Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to disrupt Russian oil and gas infrastructure, a crucial revenue stream for Moscow, and follows a series of similar strikes on Russian refineries that have contributed to fuel shortages.
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As part of a broader campaign to compel Russia to end the war, Ukrainian forces have again targeted strategic energy infrastructure, with the SBU confirming a drone strike on June 27 at the Vtorovo oil pumping station in Russia’s Vladimir Oblast. This marks the second strike on the facility this month, which is a crucial hub supplying fuel to Moscow Oblast and major airports, as well as processing oil for export and domestic consumption. This operation follows President Zelensky’s approval of a 40-day offensive strategy and aligns with Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to disrupt Russian fuel production and military operations through domestically produced long-range weapons. Additionally, on the same day, Ukrainian-made Flamingo FP-5 missiles reportedly hit a key military-industrial facility in Volgograd.
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The Lukoil-Nizhegorodorgsintez refinery, a key producer of gasoline and Russia’s fourth-largest oil refinery, has ceased operations following damage from a Ukrainian drone attack on its primary refining unit. This disruption is expected to exacerbate Russia’s existing fuel crisis, which has already prompted export bans and price increases. The incident, which also resulted in casualties, follows a pattern of Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russia’s energy infrastructure, impacting fuel availability and potentially leading to further market restrictions.
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Fires were reported across occupied Crimea, with satellite imagery indicating a significant smoke plume originating from the thermal power plant in Kerch. Traffic on the Kerch Bridge was suspended for over five hours amid these incidents. These events are part of an escalating Ukrainian campaign targeting Russian military, energy, and logistics infrastructure on the peninsula, leading to a halt in civilian fuel sales.
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John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood