Strikes on Ukrainian gas stations - Russia wants to create a logistical collapse in frontline regions
Kyiv • UNN
Russia has intensified attacks on gas stations in frontline regions, creating risks for military logistics. Ukraine has more opportunities for a symmetrical response against Russia's fuel infrastructure.
Russia has recently significantly intensified strikes on gas stations in frontline regions. Such attacks create risks not only for civilians but also for military logistics. At the same time, Ukraine has far greater capabilities for a symmetrical response against the fuel infrastructure of Russia's border regions. Military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko stated this in an interview with UNN.
Strikes on gas stations create problems for military logistics but also have a propaganda purpose
In recent weeks, Russian troops have increasingly attacked gas stations near the front line. According to Kovalenko, such strikes can indeed affect the supply of Ukrainian units, but they also have another important component – informational and propaganda.
"Yes, it is dangerous because the military also uses Ukrainian gas stations. If we are talking about close rear logistics, a very practical problem arises: you are moving along a route and cannot refuel an armored vehicle or other equipment. But for the Russians, such strikes are primarily propaganda in nature. They want to show that if Ukraine strikes their refineries and Russia faces a fuel crisis, supposedly the same situation is happening here. In reality, these are different things. If queues form at Ukrainian gas stations, it is due to a reduction in the number of operating stations, not a fuel shortage. In Russia, the problem is precisely the fuel crisis," said Kovalenko.
He added that the Russians had also struck Ukrainian gas stations before, but now their intensity has increased precisely because of the problems in the fuel industry within Russia itself.
Frontline gas stations should have been protected earlier
According to the expert, the risks to fuel infrastructure have been obvious for a long time. At the same time, basic protective measures were far from being installed everywhere.
"Gas stations in frontline areas or territories where FPV drones and other means of attack can reach should have been protected earlier. The simplest basic option is anti-drone nets. This is a passive but effective element of protection. Unfortunately, this was not done on a mass scale. I could have spoken about such a threat much earlier, but I deliberately did not raise the topic so as not to suggest a possible direction of strikes to the enemy. However, now we see that the risk zone, approximately up to 50 kilometers from the front line or border, has become obvious. It is there that the Russians will try to destroy gas stations as much as possible," he noted.
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Kovalenko does not rule out that for such strikes, the occupiers will increasingly use not only FPV drones but also Shahed-type attack drones.
Ukraine can create a "gas station lockdown" for Russia in the border regions
The expert is convinced that if Russia is betting on strikes against fuel infrastructure, Ukraine has far broader capabilities for similar actions. According to him, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are capable of operating both against the enemy's near rear and the medium rear zone.
"This game can be played by two. If the Russians have decided to scale up strikes on our gas stations, Ukraine has far more opportunities to respond. We can essentially organize for the Russians the complete destruction of operating gas stations in the Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk regions. One of the important elements of creating a security zone on Russian territory is the absence of functioning fuel infrastructure to a depth of over 50 kilometers from the border. Then Russian military equipment will also not have the ability to quickly replenish fuel supplies. And it is precisely in this direction that Ukraine has significantly greater capabilities than Russia," Kovalenko emphasized.
The military also uses regular gas stations
Commenting on statements from official sources that the military supposedly does not use regular gas stations, the expert noted that in practice the situation looks different. According to him, a significant amount of Ukrainian military transport is regularly refueled precisely at civilian gas stations.
"One can say whatever one wants, but the truth remains the truth. The military uses not only specialized fuel trucks. There are armored vehicles, civilian cars, pickup trucks, of which there are very many in the troops. If equipment needs to be refueled quickly, no one will wait for a special fuel tanker. It is refueled at a regular gas station. That is why strikes on gas stations can indeed affect military logistics, and not just create inconvenience for civilians," Kovalenko summarized.