Russia’s Refineries Just Got Handed a Precision Problem: A Washington Post Probe Says Ukraine Targets the Parts Moscow Can’t Easily Replace

“We don’t need to hit the entire plant”—Ukraine’s drones go for refinery parts sanctions make hard to repair

Of 54 strikes The Washington Post examined, more than half appear to have damaged the units that start turning crude into fuel.

Russia’s Refineries Just Got Handed a Precision Problem: A Washington Post Probe Says Ukraine Targets the Parts Moscow Can’t Easily Replace

A Washington Post investigation finds Ukraine’s drones are targeting hard-to-replace units inside Russian refineries, crippling diesel output. With US diesel prices up sharply before the midterms, Trump wants the strikes stopped and has cut a diesel deal with Putin, though one analyst argues it barely helps at the pump.

How Ukraine uses precision drone strikes to hobble Russian oil refineries

Kyiv’s drone operators are targeting critical components that are hard to repair because of international sanctions. The strikes are damaging Russia’s economy.

A propos – ‘It’s clear that Moscow is just playing with Washington’, analyst says

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again Cover image: a propos © France 24 Issued on: 12/10/2026 – 23:02 11:55 min From the show Reading time 1 min President Donald Trump’s envoys told ​Ukrainian o…