Why is Ukraine attacking Russian refineries amid a global oil crisis?

Explore Ukraine's strategic attacks on Russian refineries amid a global oil crisis to disrupt Moscow's war funding and economy.

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry released a statement on April 2 titled ‘Hellish strikes on Russia: the Defence Forces of Ukraine hit five strategic plants and ten oil refining facilities in March’. The statement, which listed the Russian oil installations Ukraine had attacked, said “each such strike on Russia was part of a systematic effort to dismantle the enemy’s war machine”.

Ever since the U.S. temporarily waived off sanctions on Russian oil in March in the wake of a global oil crisis following its attack on Iran, Ukraine has been wary of the gains its adversary would make.

In March, Kyiv stepped up attacks on Russian refineries hoping to limit the windfall Moscow is now reaping from high crude oil prices. The Ukraine Defence Ministry called the campaign “one of the largest in terms of the number of strategic enterprises struck”.

According to a New York Times report, “The most significant strikes have hit Russia’s Baltic ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk, which handle roughly 40% of the country’s seaborne crude exports. Local authorities reported damage at both ports, and the number of tankers loading oil there has plummeted...”

While the Ukraine Defence Ministry said that “blocking oil and petroleum product exports via the Baltic Sea deprives the Russian budget of billions of dollars that are directly converted into missiles and ammunition”, the NYT report said that the “reality is more complicated”.

“[This is]...because Russia taxes oil extraction, not oil sales. That means striking ports and tankers hurts companies selling and shipping the oil, but could leave the government’s revenue nearly intact,” the report said.