Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has revealed that his country’s long-range attacks with newly-produced missiles and drones have caused major fuel shortage in Russia.
In an interview with Ukrinform news agency on Thursday, Zelenskiy said Palianytsia missile has struck multiple Russian military warehouses, while the Ruta missile drone recently hit a Russian offshore oil platform more than 250 kilometers away - an achievement he called “a major success”. Zelenskiy also highlighted Liutyi and Fire Point long-range drones that Ukrainian troops fire sometimes up to 300 in a single mission in their attacks on Russian energy cites. Zelenskiy also spoke about the successful use of Neptune and Flamingo missile systems in tandem at Russian targets. “Over the past week our pair of Neptune and Flamingo missiles was used. The corresponding results can be analyzed independently. We’re not saying it’s a mass deployment of this pair. We’re simply saying there has been use, and there are the first tangible results from this weapon of ours,” he said.
Zelenskyy said that visible fuel shortages and a spike in Russian fuel imports prove these long-range strikes are effective. At a press briefing Wednesday, he noted that Russia has boosted fuel imports from Belarus sixfold, removed import duties, and is now bringing in fuel from China. “The key point is that Russia is now importing gasoline — that’s a clear sign. According to our intelligence, they’ve lost as much as 20% of their gasoline supply following our strikes,” Zelenskiy said.
Moscow has not commented on fuel shortages, while pro-government media has played down Ukraine’s strikes on the country’s energy cites and the impact of these air raids on the energy sector. It should be noted that despite receiving Western military aid, Ukraine has long been limited by the US and other Western allies to conduct long-range strikes deep on Russia, imposed to prevent escalation. This has prompted Kyiv to produce its own long-range missiles, turning the country into an emerging regional hub for defence development.
Having a range of up to 3,000 kilometers, Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missile was produced by local Fire Point company and unveiled in summer. A photograph of the missile, taken on August 14 at an undisclosed location, was published on Facebook by photojournalist Efrem Lukatsky, who noted that it had already entered serial production. Neptun missile that has a range of around 400 kilometers, has been used against ground targets for a year now. Ukraine also seeks to receive long-range Tomahawk missiles from the US with the Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko visiting Washington next week to discuss defence cooperation.
