Russia’s reliance on Ukrainian drone attacks has brought the war to ordinary Russians, sparking a new crisis for President Vladimir Putin. The increased firepower and quantity of drones have allowed Ukraine to target refineries in distant Siberia, including Moscow’s main refinery.
As of June 20, an estimated 28% of Russia’s refining capacity was offline due to the drone attacks. Sergey Vakulenko, former head of strategy at Gazprom Neft, attributes the problem to the “steep rise in the number of drones that Ukraine is able to fire.” This marks a shift from logistical difficulties and market imbalances to a physical shortage of fuel, presenting Putin with a new challenge in his fight against Ukraine.
Source: https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/putin-faces-a-political-crisis-as-fuel-shortages-ripple-through-russia-8991cd9a