Ukraine has been attacking Russia’s oil refining infrastructure with drones and missiles regularly since 2024.

• Oil refining is the process of creating fuel and other products from crude oil.

Since August 2025, Ukraine has intensified these attacks, with over 10 strikes per month.

Main goal: to reduce Russia’s ability to finance its war on Ukraine.

• The oil and gas sector accounts for 30% of Russia’s budget.

In 2024, Russia sold oil and gas worth $235 billion, or 63% of its total exports.

Despite the sanctions, Russia’s oil export revenues fell by only 4% from 2021 to 2024.

China, India, and Turkey are the largest buyers of Russian fossil fuels.

How Ukraine conducts the strikes?

So far in 2025, Ukraine has hit 17 major refineries in Russia (out of a total of 30), as well as pipelines and other facilities.

Between August and September 2025, 23 out of 30 attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure were successful.

Ukraine has developed the ability to strike up to 2,000 km inside Russia.

Ukraine uses medium- and long-range drones produced locally.

It also uses missiles developed by Ukrainian companies, as well as Western-supplied missiles.