Russia uses jet-powered Shaheds, Ukraine strikes Russian oil refineries
Russia has begun using jet-powered Shahed drones in Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces continue to strike Russian oil refineries. A fivefold increase in the use of jet-powered drones in July and production of about 3,000 units per month have been reported. At the same time, strikes on refineries in Yaroslavl and Ufa are causing fires and worsening the fuel crisis.
Sources
· 6Россия применяет реактивные дроны Shahed в Украине, производство достигает 3000 в месяц
1Украинские дроны атаковали НПЗ «Славнефть-ЯНОС» в Ярославле, вызвав пожар
2Украинский беспилотник поджёг НПЗ «Роснефти» в Уфе
3Украинские дроны ударили по топливному снабжению российской глубинки
4Удары дронов по российским НПЗ вынуждают Кыргызстан и Таджикистан диверсифицировать поставки топлива
5Украинские Telegram-каналы сообщают об атаке дрона на НПЗ в Уфе
6Key points
- Russia has begun using jet-powered Shahed drones in Ukraine, including the Geran-4; Ukrainian military officials report a fivefold increase in the use of jet-powered drones in July, while production in Russia is estimated at 3,000 units per month.
- In Ufa, a Ukrainian drone set fire to a Bashneft refinery; repairs are expected within a few days.
- The Ukrainian drone campaign has knocked out 20–40% of Russia's refining capacity, according to the IEA, and triggered a fuel crisis.
- Russian export restrictions have hit Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, forcing them to diversify fuel supplies.
What happened
Russia has begun using jet-powered Shahed drones in Ukraine, including the Geran-4 variant. Ukrainian military officials report a fivefold increase in the use of such drones in July. Production of jet-powered Shaheds in Russia is estimated at about 3,000 units per month.
Early Friday morning, Ukrainian forces attacked the Slavneft-YANOS refinery in Yaroslavl, causing a fire. The refinery processes about 300,000 barrels per day and, according to Ukraine, supplies fuel to the Russian military.
On Wednesday night, a Ukrainian drone caused a small fire at one of Bashneft's refineries in Ufa, said Bashkortostan head Radiy Khabirov. The scale of damage is being assessed, and repairs are expected within a few days.
Who's affected
Directly affected are Yaroslavl and Ufa, where fires broke out at oil refineries. Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are being forced to diversify fuel supplies: in July Tajikistan tripled purchases from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, while supplies from Russia fell by half.
Earlier
- On August 5, Ukrainian Telegram channels reported a drone attack on the Ufa refinery that caused a fire; there was no official confirmation from Russian authorities.
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