The Russian oil infrastructure has already suffered serious losses, but Ukraine is not stopping at strikes on oil refineries. New targets could prove just as damaging to the enemy, as entire fuel supply chains depend on them.

Military expert and Reserve Colonel Roman Svitan analyzed the new tactics of the Ukrainian forces for Channel 24 and explained why oil hubs, storage facilities, maritime logistics, and airfields are under attack. In his assessment, the systematic destruction of such facilities could significantly weaken the Russian economy and the army’s supply lines.

Ukrainian defense forces have significantly changed their approach to destroying Russian oil and gas infrastructure. Whereas oil refineries were previously the primary targets, the focus has now shifted to linear production dispatch stations (LPDS).

These are complex infrastructure hubs that serve as distribution centers – they blend, dispatch, and pump various types of fuel into main pipelines.

Striking facilities such as the LPDS near Moscow or in Samara has the same effect as destroying a medium-sized oil refinery. The Samara station is effectively the starting point of the “Druzhba” oil pipeline, and putting it out of commission would paralyze logistics over vast distances.

Systematic strikes have already yielded tangible macroeconomic results. Before the start of the active drone attack campaign, Russia was refining about 5 million barrels of oil per day. Currently, this figure has fallen exactly in half – to 2.5 million barrels.

However, this reduction is not yet sufficient to bring the Russian war machine to a complete halt. The remaining volumes are enough to meet basic infrastructure needs and support the movement of the occupying army.

That is precisely why the next logical step is to destroy oil transshipment facilities and storage facilities at various levels to create a total fuel shortage directly on the front lines.

A separate focus has been the destruction of the enemy’s maritime logistics. The strike by a surface drone on a tanker near Sochi demonstrated the vulnerability of Russia’s shadow fleet.

The destruction of 100,000 metric tons of oil intended for export not only causes direct financial losses but also creates colossal environmental problems for Russia itself.

An important indicator is that the tanker was being loaded in Novorossiysk. This means that the port continues to operate for shipments, and therefore, the Novorossiysk and Tuapse areas will remain priority targets for Ukrainian unmanned aerial systems.

Alongside oil infrastructure, Russian military airfields – such as those in "Khanska" in Adygea, and facilities in the Bryansk region – are being targeted.

Their value lies not only in serving as air bases. Any airfield serves as a major hub for radio-technical units: it houses surveillance and course-tracking radars, anti-aircraft missile systems, fuel and lubricant depots, and communications systems.

The destruction of such facilities, especially along the Moscow axis, literally cuts through the Russian air defense system. Disabling these radars creates safe flight paths for Ukrainian drones to penetrate deep into Russian territory, particularly for massive attacks on the Moscow region.

Economic Collapse as an Alternative to Head-On Assaults

This strategy of deep strikes has a clear military-political rationale. Instead of wasting human resources in grueling head-on battles for every settlement, it is far more effective to provoke an internal collapse of the Russian economy.

Depriving the Kremlin of petrodollars and disrupting its logistics will force the Russian army to halt due to a lack of resources.

The liberation of territories should take place after the Russian state apparatus begins to crumble from within. The army is a product of the state: if the economy cannot finance the war, the occupying forces will lose the ability to hold onto the captured territories.