In the midst of waning Western support and Russian advances on the frontline in Ukraine, a new front in the Russo-Ukrainian War has opened over the past months.
Ukraine has begun striking specifically at Russia's oil refinery infrastructrue using a variety of drones and the attacks seem to be hurting the Russians.
On Wednesday, Ukraine hit a refinery in the city of Ryazan, Reuters reports. The Refinery is the biggest refinery of Russian oil giant Rosneft. The drone attack caused the refinery to catch fire and the production was likely severely disrupted.
The Ryazan facility accounts for 6.4% of Russia's gasoline production and as much as 8% of aviation fuel - severely threatening the supplies for Russia's war planes and vehicles fighting in Ukraine.
This comes just as the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in the Rostov region resumed operations after stoppage and the attack on Ryazan refinery is the latest in a series of attacks which over the past days have also targeted refineries near the city of Nizhny Novgorod as well as the aforementioned Novoshakhtinsk facility.
Russia has so far been able to quickly repair the damages and get refining capacity up and running, but it's unclear if production levels and efficiency is as before.
On Wednesday, Russian president Putin remarked:
"The main goal, I have no doubt about it, is to - if not to disrupt the presidential elections in Russia - then at least somehow interfere with the normal process of expressing the will of citizens."
Russian media said around 60 drones had been destroyed over Russian sovereign territory over several hours on Wednesday.