Russia plans to deploy Pantsyr air defense systems to protect oil refineries, but given the size and scale of the Russian energy sector, it is unlikely that Russia will be able to protect all vulnerable facilities. This is stated in a new report by the UK Ministry of Defense, according to UNN.
Details
"According to an official of the Russian Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry, it is planned to deploy Pantsyr air defense systems to protect the refinery. However, given the size and scale of the Russian energy sector, it is unlikely that Russia will be able to protect all vulnerable facilities," the report says.
It is noted that on March 17, Ukraine successfully struck 12 Russian oil refineries using UAVs. Also on March 15-16, Ukrainian media reported that three large oil refineries in the Samara region in southern Russia were also attacked.
Some of the most remote facilities that have been attacked are approximately 900 kilometers from Ukraine, which underscores the range of attacks by Ukrainian UAVs. These strikes are causing financial costs for Russia by affecting the domestic fuel market. The recent strikes on oil refineries have likely put at least 10 percent of Russia's refinery capacity out of commission. Depending on the extent of the damage, major repairs could take considerable time and money. Sanctions are likely to increase the time and cost of replacing equipment
Recall
Earlier, British intelligence reported that since the beginning of March, Russia has imposed a six-month ban on gasoline exports to stabilize domestic prices in the face of rising demand, which was likely caused by the fact that Russian refining capacity was temporarily reduced due to numerous strikes by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles on refineries across Russia.