Ukrainian strikes pivot to Russian fuel tankers
Ukraine has extended its targets to include fuel tankers as it continues to attack Russian oil refining and exporting assets.
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Ukrainian drones struck two fuel tankers off Russia’s southern coast last week, escalating pressure on the country's already deepening fuel crisis.
This escalation has fuelled a rally in Brent crude’s price, adding momentum already driven by renewed US-Iran hostilities following the collapse of Oman-brokered peace talks.
The two tankers were hit in Taganrog Bay, nestled in the Sea of Azov’s northeastern basin in the southern Russian Rostov region, its governor Yury Slyusar said on social media platform Telegram.
“In Taganrog Bay, two tankers were again attacked by UAVs and sustained mechanical damage,” Slyusar said, adding that the unidentified aerial vehicle (UAV) strikes caused fires.
The strikes came shortly after Ukraine hit one of Russia’s biggest oil refineries last week – Gazprom Neft’s Omsk refinery. Subsequently, the refinery halted operations after the drone strike damaged key processing units, Reuters reported citing sources.
The Omsk oil refinery processed 22 million mt of oil, or around 440,000 b/d, in 2024, according to Reuters.
Kyiv is intensifying its campaign to cripple Russian energy revenues, expanding its focus beyond refineries and export terminals to target Moscow's vital fuel supply routes and tanker fleet.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that Russian oil production for 2026 and 2027 will fall below previous forecasts, as Ukraine’s relentless strikes continue to cripple Russia’s storage, refining and transportation infrastructure.
For 2026, the IEA sees Russian oil supply around 8.9 million b/d – marking a cut of 85,000 b/d. The Paris-based agency has further lowered supply forecast for 2027 by about 150,000 b/d to 8.8 million b/d, Reuters reported.
Notably, Russia's crude oil production increased to 8.86 million b/d last month from 8.74 million b/d in May, according to the IEA. However, the country’s oil production remains well below its implied OPEC+ target of 9.76 million b/d.
By Aparupa Mazumder
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