As Ukraine hits Russia's refineries, Russia targets Ukraine's petrol pumps

Ukraine's citizens are urged to fill up their cars quickly as Russian drones continue targeting petrol stations across the nation. In Kharkiv, the city's second largest, two petrol stations were hit by drones on Monday, resulting in two injuries. Last week, a similar attack on a station outside Kryvyi Rih claimed three lives. This surge in drone strikes began in April, primarily affecting frontline regions.

Russia has struck at least 246 filling stations in Ukraine, according to analyst Oleksandr Sirenko from the Ukrainian energy think-tank Nafto Rynok. The attacks have become more frequent, with July seeing 114 verified strikes, compared to 66 in the previous month. Police in the Dnipropetrovsk region have warned motorists to leave petrol stations and abandon vehicles during air raid alerts.

The attacks are highly disruptive and pose significant risks to civilians. Initially carried out with smaller drones, Russia now employs larger, more destructive Iranian-made Shahed drones, costing between $20,000 and $50,000 each. Some roads, like the one connecting Kharkiv and Dnipro, have no functioning petrol stations left due to destruction.

In Mykolaiv, petrol stations are increasingly strict about operating during air alerts. Russian authorities have faced fuel shortages across the country due to Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries. This has led to a significant decrease in petrol availability at Russian stations, with only 28% accessible. In contrast, Ukraine has more fuel stations and relies on road tanker deliveries, minimizing the impact of targeted attacks.