Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities may have cut Russia's fuel supplies by up to a fifth, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, quoted by "Reuters". According to him, both Kiev and Moscow are stepping up attacks on their energy systems, while diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stalled.
"This has yet to be confirmed, but according to our estimates, Russia has lost up to 20% of its fuel supplies - directly as a result of our strikes," Zelensky said in a statement published on Thursday. He said various analyses showed a drop of between 13% and 20%.
According to calculations by "Reuters" since August, Ukrainian attacks have already reduced Russia's refining capacity by nearly a fifth on certain days. The latest strike hit the Kirishi refinery, one of the country's largest, where a main unit for processing crude oil was shut down, two industry sources said.
The Kremlin has officially said that the domestic fuel market is fully supplied, but Zelensky noted that his estimates are based on available data. On Thursday, the Russian government convened a meeting dedicated to the country's energy supplies.
Zelensky specified that in the latest strikes, the Ukrainian army used domestically produced "Neptune" missiles and "Flamingo", as part of a strategy to strengthen the local defense industry.
For their part, Russian forces have carried out 1,550 strikes on energy facilities in Ukraine's Chernihiv, Sumy and Poltava regions in the past month, but only 160 of them have hit their targets, the Ukrainian president said.
Zelensky added that Russia is urgently trying to seize the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk, but the Ukrainian army has managed to hold the line. "Russia has failed to convince President Donald Trump that it is capable of controlling the entire Donbass," he said.
Trump, who initially pushed for a quick peace agreement, has in recent weeks expressed disappointment with Vladimir Putin and demonstrated firmer support for Ukraine.
"We believe that to date the United States and Russia do not have a shared vision for the war," Zelensky stressed. "The United States also understands that Russia is lying."
The Ukrainian president also said that his chief of staff and Defense Minister Denys Shmygal would visit Washington early next week to discuss air defense, energy and sanctions against Moscow.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that the United States would provide Ukraine with intelligence on Russian energy facilities deep in the country as potential targets for strikes. The Kremlin responded by saying that Washington and NATO were already helping Kiev attack Russian infrastructure.