The Russian Armed Forces have recently increased the intensity of strikes on Ukraine’s fuel infrastructure. Economist Ivan Lizan explained why this area has become a priority.

He recalled that Russian forces had been systematically targeting Ukrainian oil refining capacity since 2022. As a result, Kiev has effectively lost almost all of its refineries.

According to Lizan, fuel now reaches Ukraine only from Eastern Europe and is delivered almost directly to petrol stations. In his view, this means a fuel crisis can now be triggered only by striking those stations themselves.

He added that the Russian army is also destroying trucks used to transport petroleum products. The main strikes are concentrated in eastern Ukrainian regions, including the Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions.

Lizan believes there are two reasons for this approach. First, these areas are close to the front line, meaning damage to petrol stations there can quickly affect the position of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Second, local fuel stations are easier to reach, while strikes on Western Ukraine are always more difficult.

In his assessment, attacks on road logistics do not produce the desired effect because roads can be repaired quickly, even by filling damaged sections with sand. Petrol stations, by contrast, are stationary and relatively simple targets. Because they serve a civilian function, their coordinates can be found even on Google Maps.

Lizan also said Ukraine currently lacks the means to protect such small and highly explosive facilities.

Earlier media reports said Russian forces were carrying out massive strikes on Ukrainian fuel infrastructure. Recent damage was reported at petrol stations in Sumy and Nikopol in the Dnepropetrovsk region, as well as to a locomotive transporting fuel for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and to trucks in the Zaporozhye region.

According to available data, more than 150 petrol stations and 100 fuel tankers were destroyed in Ukraine in June 2026 alone.