A satellite image shows smoke rising from Russia's Baltic port of Ust-Luga
Drone power: Ukraine escalates its war on Russian oil
Sustained strikes on ports, terminals and refineries are testing the resilience of Russia’s oil export system, yet rapid repairs, rerouting and surging prices mean the campaign has yet to deliver a decisive blow
Ukraine’s ability to target Russian oil infrastructure continues to improve as it rapidly scales up drone production and advances its technology. Ukrainian forces have sustained an intensive campaign of drone strikes against Russian oil refineries, pipelines, terminals and other facilities for more than two years—at times likely causing outages lasting weeks or months at some units. The extent of the damage and its impact is often difficult to verify accurately, however. Russian authorities have an incentive to play down the effectiveness of these strikes. But at the same time, headline claims of sharp declines in Russia's refining and export capacity should be treated with caution, as Petro
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