Key facts
- Ukraine will carry out preemptive attacks on facilities Russia uses for its war effort.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy instructed intelligence services and the military to act preemptively.
- Ukrainian drones targeted energy infrastructure in central and southern Russia.
- The Moscow oil refinery sustained extensive damage and will be offline for at least six months.
- Russia's production of petroleum products and coke fell 13.5% year-on-year in May.
Ukraine intends to launch preemptive strikes against Russian facilities that support its war effort, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced. This strategic shift follows a series of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting energy infrastructure in central and southern Russia, including the Moscow oil refinery, which sustained significant damage and is expected to be offline for at least six months. These strikes have contributed to a deepening fuel crisis in Russia, with official data showing a 13.5% year-on-year drop in petroleum product and coke production in May. Russia, a major global oil producer, has largely ceased publishing detailed production and export data since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.