US helping Ukraine bypass Russian air defences: strikes on refineries up elevenfold – FT

US intelligence is helping Ukraine plan routes for long-range drones and bypass Russian air defences during strikes on oil refineries.

Source: Financial Times, citing senior Ukrainian officials

Details: This is occurring against a backdrop of record-intensity Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. According to Rochan Consulting, the number of successful strikes on Russian refineries reached a monthly record of 16 in May.

Since the start of 2026, Russian refineries have been struck at least 194 times – 11 times more than in the same period last year.

According to FT's analysis, the sharp rise in strikes is deepening Russia's worst fuel crisis in decades. More than half of Russian regions have already introduced strict fuel sales restrictions, with residents queuing for hours at petrol stations.

In June, Ukraine struck the only Moscow refinery several times, causing large fires and clouds of smoke above the Russian capital, which also faced a petrol shortage.

According to Russian data, at least 63,933 Ukrainian drones were reportedly shot down over Russia and occupied territories in the first six months of 2026.

Analysts attribute the growing effectiveness of Ukraine's campaign not only to US intelligence assistance but also to increased production and improved management.

Rochan Consulting director Konrad Muzyka told FT that Ukraine's campaign has evolved from strikes on oil infrastructure into a broader strategic campaign against Russia's energy, logistics, industrial and export systems.

Background:

• On 3 July, the NORSI refinery halted oil processing following a drone attack on 2 July.
• On the night of 1-2 July, the Lukoil-Nizhegorodorgsintez refinery in the city of Kstovo in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Oblast was damaged following a Ukrainian drone attack.
• Since late May, more than 30 Russian regions have introduced fuel sales restrictions. The strictest regime is in Crimea and Sevastopol, where the free sale of petrol was suspended on 21 June, with petrol stations fully redirected to supplying emergency and state services.
• Russia has begun importing petrol by sea for the first time in a long while to cover the fuel shortage following Ukrainian strikes on refineries.
• Russia is also in talks with Kazakhstan on importing around 50,000 metric tonnes of AI-92 petrol to ease domestic shortages caused by refinery shutdowns and unplanned repairs.
• Amid the shortage, Rosstat has stopped publishing its bulletin on consumer prices for petrol and diesel, following corresponding amendments to the federal statistical work plan by the Russian government.

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