Ukraine’s oil refinery strikes cut Russian strategic bomber capacity by 900 sorties

Ukrainian Defense Forces have significantly diminished Russia’s capabilities by 900 strategic bomber sorties through precise strikes on Russian oil refinery tanks, Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, an aviation expert and electronic warfare systems manufacturer, told Ukrainian Radio in an interview.

Russian forces have been launching drone attacks on Ukrainian cities almost nightly. Iranian-designed Shahed drones are relatively inexpensive to produce compared to traditional missiles, allowing Russia to conduct sustained operations without depleting its more expensive missile stockpiles. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces also conduct drone strikes on Russia, hitting ammunition depots, airfields and other military objects.

Khrapchynskyi noted that Ukraine initially deployed high-precision drones targeting oil refineries, which either destroyed their ability to process fuel or caused substantial damage, including recent strikes on the Engels airfield.

“Russia has lost 800,000 tons of fuel, equivalent to around 900 sorties by 21 strategic bombers like the Tu-125 and Tu-160, which conduct large-scale strikes on Ukrainian territory. Our strikes on these tanks have reduced their operational capacity by 900 sorties,” the expert explained.

On 8 January, drones struck Russia’s Kristall federal reserve oil depot, which stored fuel for the Engels-2 strategic bomber airbase, triggering a fire. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed that defense forces attacked the Crystal Combine oil depot with drones.

The facility supplied fuel to Engels-2 airfield, which houses Tu-95MS bombers used for strikes against Ukrainian civilian targets. The attack on the facility, 600 km from Ukraine’s borders, marked another strike in Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign against Russian military targets.

On 14 January, an another drone attack hit Engels, causing explosions and a fire at the oil refinery. Russian sources claimed their air defense systems intercepted multiple targets, allegedly downing at least 15 aerial vehicles. The attack ostensibly involved Ukrainian jet-powered Peklo drones and Bober kamikaze drones.

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