Ukraine’s ongoing campaign of drone strikes at Russian oil refineries constitutes legitimate self-defense, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said on April 2.
Russia increased its petrol imports from Belarus in March to overcome the risk of shortages in its domestic market, which arose due to repairs at Russian refineries after drone attacks. Source: Reuters citing industry and trade sources Details: Russia is usually an exporter of petrol to international markets, but the failure of Russian refineries has forced oil companies to start importing it.
The U.S. does not support Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a March 26 briefing, though he declined to comment on whether they had asked Ukraine to cease attacking Russian oil refineries.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) attacked three oil refineries in Russia with drones on the night of 12-13 March, namely those in Ryazan and Kstovo in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast and Kirishi in Leningrad Oblast.
The Kremlin has announced a six-month ban on petrol exports after Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries left Vladimir Putin’s regime scrambling to meet domestic demand.