Ukraine and Russia Trade Blows on Energy and Fuel Depots, Putting Civilians and Supply Lines in the Crosshairs
Ukrainian forces say they have hit Russian radar systems, fuel depots and an oil refinery in Krasnodar, while Russian units are reported to be attacking Ukrainian gas stations, oil storage in Nove and power infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia. The duel over energy targets is turning fuel and electricity into front-line assets, exposing civilians, truckers and local grids to the logic of strategic punishment on both sides.
Fuel depots, gas stations and power substations are now being treated as battlefield targets in the Russia–Ukraine war, as both sides intensify strikes on each other’s energy and logistics networks and drag civilian infrastructure deeper into the conflict.
Ukrainian special operations and intelligence units reported on 29 June that they had hit a range of Russian military and fuel assets across occupied territory and inside Russia. According to Ukrainian accounts, operators in Crimea destroyed a Russian Pantsir‑S1 air defense system along with ST‑68 and Podlet 48Y6‑K1 radar installations, while other teams struck fuel tanks and a warehouse containing fuel and lubricants in the Zaporizhzhia region. In the Bryansk region of Russia, Ukrainian operators reportedly hit an additional refueling vehicle.
Separately, Ukraine’s military intelligence service highlighted attacks carried out by its so‑called "Ghosts" unit during June, claiming the destruction of a Kasta‑2E2 radar system, six fuel tankers, two freight locomotives, three fuel tanks and military equipment loaded on a train. Another report pointed to an overnight strike on the oil refinery in Slavyansk‑on‑Kuban in Russia’s Krasnodar region, describing images of a large fire.
Russian forces have answered with their own focus on Ukrainian fuel and energy infrastructure. A pro‑Russian channel reported that the Russian 50th "Varyag" brigade has been targeting Ukrainian gas stations near the frontline in what it framed as retaliation for attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. Other footage and local reports from 29 June described a Russian strike on an oil depot in Nove in Ukraine, as well as Geran‑type drones attacking Ukrainian electrical substations in the Zaporizhzhia region. Additional Russian strikes were documented against Ukrainian positions in Kharkiv.
The human cost of this shift toward energy targets is already visible. Ukrainian sources said a Russian guided bomb strike on Kharkiv killed a 23‑year‑old woman and wounded 10 others. In Zaporizhzhia, regional authorities accused Russian forces of "hunting" civilian transport, saying a drone exploded near a bus and injured four people. While Ukraine’s strikes are aimed at fuel facilities, rail assets and radar systems that support Russia’s war effort, their effects can ripple outward through supply chains and local communities living near industrial sites.
For soldiers on both sides, these attacks reshape the risks around movement and resupply. Tanker drivers, rail crews and gas station staff find themselves operating under the shadow of potential missile, drone or sabotage strikes, while commanders must plan around increasingly fragile fuel networks. The reported targeting of rail locomotives and refueling vehicles points to a deliberate effort to slow the flow of ammunition and troops, not just destroy fuel in storage.
Strategically, the duel over refineries, depots and substations is an extension of Ukraine’s broader campaign to erode Russia’s economic base and war‑sustaining infrastructure, and of Russia’s long‑running efforts to degrade Ukraine’s energy grid and logistics. Oil facilities in regions like Krasnodar contribute to Russia’s export earnings and internal distribution, while Ukrainian depots and power nodes underpin both frontline operations and civilian resilience through the coming seasons.
This is also a signaling contest. Kyiv is pressing the message that no part of Russia’s oil machine is fully out of reach, even deep inside its territory. Moscow is countering by demonstrating that Ukraine will pay a direct and painful price — not only at military hubs but at the filling stations and depots ordinary Ukrainians use.
The next developments to watch include independent damage assessments of the reported strike on the Slavyansk‑on‑Kuban refinery and other Russian facilities, signs of fuel or electricity shortages in affected Ukrainian regions, and any adjustments in Russian air defenses and Ukrainian long‑range strike tactics. A sustained campaign against energy infrastructure on this scale could reshape not only battlefield tempo but also the economic and humanitarian landscape of the war as it heads toward another winter.
Sources
- OSINT