Ukraine has caused significant gas shortages in Russia by targeting its oil facilities with newly developed long-range missiles and drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday.
As a result, Moscow is now having to import more fuel from countries such as Belarus, according to the Ukrainian leader.
Ukraine’s new Paliantysia missile has hit dozens of Russian military depots, while the Ruta missile drone recently struck a Russian offshore oil platform more than 250 kilometres away, in what Zelenskyy called “a major success” for the new weapon.
Russian energy facilities have also been attacked by swarms of Liutyi and Fire Point long-range drones, with up to 300 units used in each operation.
Ukrainian forces recently fired Neptune and Flamingo missile systems at Russia, the Zelenskyy said.
Russian fuel shortages and higher imports indicate that Ukraine’s attacks are working, Zelenskyy added at a news briefing on Wednesday.
“The main thing is that (Russia is) now importing gasoline — that’s a signal,” he said.
Ukrainian intelligence reports show Russia has boosted imports from Belarus sixfold and removed import duties, while also bringing in fuel from China.
“According to our data, they’ve lost up to 20% of their gasoline supply — precisely after our strikes,” Zelenskyy said.
Russian officials have made no public comment about possible gas shortages.
The successes with weapons designed and manufactured by Ukraine are a welcome development for Kyiv after more than three years of fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion, as Moscow deploys its bigger army and economic resources in an attempt to crush its neighbour.
Ukraine has received Western military aid but has been frustrated by restrictions imposed by the United States and European allies on strikes deep into Russia, out of fear of escalating the war.
Ukraine has poured huge efforts into weapons development and has fast become a global centre for defence innovation.
Zelenskyy said he wanted the United States to provide Ukraine with additional long-range weapons, specifically naming Tomahawk missiles that can carry large warheads but which Washington has previously refused to provide.
US President Donald Trump, who has been frustrated in his efforts to end the war by Russian objections, said earlier this week that he has “sort of made a decision” on whether to send Tomahawks to Ukraine but did not elaborate.
“At the last meeting I did not hear ‘no,'” Zelenskyy said of his request for Tomahawks, adding that US officials had agreed to work on the question at a technical level.
A delegation led by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko is due to travel to the US early next week for talks about air defence, energy cooperation, sanctions and the use of frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s war effort.
Russian plans derailed
On the battlefield, Zelenskyy said the most intense fighting remains around Pokrovsk and Dobropillia in the eastern Donetsk region, where Ukrainian troops have launched a counter-offensive operation he described as “very difficult but very timely — and successful”.
“This operation derailed Russia’s summer offensive campaign,” he said, adding that what he said was Moscow’s plan to occupy much of the Donetsk region by November had failed.
Russian commanders have been ordered “to take Pokrovsk at any cost”, he said, citing intercepted Russian military communications.
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine has contingency plans to protect its natural gas infrastructure, which has been the target of Russian attacks in recent weeks as winter approaches.
“We have Plan A and Plan B,” he said. “Plan A is to rely more on our own extraction. Plan B…is to switch to imports. We understand the volumes, the cost of those imports, and where to get the necessary funds.”
Additional sources • AP