Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil depots disrupt major contracts

Strikes by Ukrainian drones on Russian oil depots have led to lost petrol shipments and the disruption of major contracts.

Source: The Moscow Times

Details: According to court proceedings, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil storage facilities in 2024-2025 resulted in the collapse of large fuel contracts, with owners citing force majeure.

For example, in February 2026, the Moscow Arbitration Court ordered the Morskoy Neftyanoy Terminal in occupied Crimea to pay over 8.4 million roubles (US$55,000) to the company Mosregiongaz. The latter submitted documents showing it had lost 132 tonnes of AI-92 petrol and nearly 24 tonnes of diesel fuel stored at the terminal. The petroleum products were destroyed in a drone attack in October 2024.

A similar ruling was issued by the Moscow arbitration court in a dispute between the Platonovskaya oil depot in Tambov Oblast and the same Mosregiongaz.

The storage operator informed the client that it was unable to return more than 80 tonnes of petrol, citing a "terror attack" in June 2024. However, the court stated that such "sabotage incidents" at fuel storage facilities are not uncommon and that the oil depot had failed to take adequate security measures.

The Russian Verstka outlet examined a number of similar court cases but noted that they reflect only a small part of the overall impact of the strikes.

Only cases in which the parties failed to reach compensation agreements and chose arbitration end up in court. In addition, not all published rulings disclose details of the strikes.

Meanwhile, the scale of the attacks is reflected in the fact that a fuel crisis in Russia intensified in June 2026.

Background:

• Despite the fact that the Central Bank of Russia lowered its key interest rate from 14.5% to 14.25%, shares in the Russian state energy company Gazprom still fell sharply to their lowest level since 2008.
• In May, Russia's crude oil production dropped by around 5% compared to the same period in 2025, to 8.7 million barrels per day, which is 10% below the monthly plan.
• Since the beginning of 2026, Ukraine has carried out more than 20 strikes on Russia's oil infrastructure, including oil refineries, export terminals and pipelines. As of early May, this had already cost Russia over US$7 billion.

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