Ukraine intensifies drone strikes on Russian oil refineries in August 2025

In August 2025 Ukraine significantly increased its long-range drone attacks on Russian oil refineries. The strikes were part of a broader campaign to hit energy infrastructure that supports Russia's war effort and its budget revenues.

Several refineries in different parts of Russia were hit, in some cases forcing them to halt or reduce processing. Because Russia's domestic fuel market is closely balanced, even temporary outages at a few plants quickly affected supply.

By mid-August, shortages of gasoline and rising prices were reported at filling stations in a number of Russian regions, including areas far from the front line. The problems were most visible in some regions of the south and in occupied Crimea, where supplies were already strained.

The attacks mattered because they showed that Ukraine's drones could disrupt everyday fuel supply inside Russia, not only military targets. Russian authorities responded with measures to stabilise the market, and the pressure on fuel supply became a recurring theme in the months that followed, including the later limits on fuel sales at stations.