At the beginning of October, at least 21 of Russia’s 38 largest energy facilities were damaged.
After a massive Russian attack on Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure over the weekend, blackout schedules ranging from 8 to 16 hours were implemented in most regions. However, Ukraine is also waging its own war against Russia’s energy infrastructure. Time does not rule out that this campaign could lead to a halt in military actions by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
With just a few more targeted strikes, the Kremlin’s military supply chains and economy could be weakened enough to force Putin to make peace, the paper says.
The publication said that in the first few months of this year, at least 13 Russian oil refineries were hit. Since then, the pace of drone strikes has increased significantly. As a result, as of early October, at least 21 of the 38 largest facilities had been damaged. It is noted that 38% of Russia’s main oil refining capacity was disabled around the same time.
Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine were likely prompted by significant Ukrainian strikes on Thursday, including the sixth hit of the Lukoil oil refinery in Volgograd, a power plant in Volgorechensk and an oil depot in Crimea.
The publication refers to a report by the Financial Times, which claimed that Ukraine is using US intelligence to strike priority energy facilities in Russia. This indicates that US President Donald Trump is seriously trying to force Putin to agree to a peaceful settlement.
The article notes that Russia still depends on oil and gas exports, which account for up to 50% of its state budget. However, exports fell by about 26% in September, and more energy facilities were taken out of service in October.
In addition, gas exports are at their lowest level in 50 years, and total oil refining is at their lowest level in five years.
Russia even had to introduce restrictions on exports, since a fuel shortage of about 20% began on the domestic market. The publication states that Russia has begun to feel the consequences of the war that it itself started against Ukraine.
The publication added that the Ukrainian attacks occur against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose sanctions against Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft. In addition, the European Union is discussing how to completely stop imports of Russian fossil fuels by the end of 2027.
If the EU proposal is accepted, it is expected that, together with US sanctions, it will be an important step to force Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to a ceasefire.
The situation in the energy sector in Ukraine: latest news
Earlier, UNIAN reported that Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk noted that in the near future there are no forecasts for reductions in the supply of electricity to Ukrainian homes. Grinchuk added that the current volume of power outages will continue. Moreover, she noted that the situation could worsen if the enemy carries out another attack.
We also wrote that Ukrenergo reported that on Tuesday, November 11, there will be restrictions on the supply of electricity in the country from 00:00 to 23:59 in the amount of 2 to 3.5 turns for household consumers. The same applies to industrial consumers. At the same time, the company noted that the time and scope of application of restrictions may change during the day.
