Zelenskyy: "The most effective sanctions are to fire at Russia's refineries, ports, and oil depots."
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy thanked the military in his speech on the evening of September 14 for attacking Russia's oil and gas infrastructure.
Last night, Ukrainian drones attacked one of Russia's largest refineries - the Kirovskaya refinery located in the Leningrad region.
Comments: Ukraine frequently attacks Russia's refineries, ports, and oil depots, trying to precisely strike Russia's energy supply system. However, this will further anger Russia, leading to a more intense retaliation, putting Ukraine under greater military pressure.
From a practical perspective, the strategy advocated by Zelenskyy of attacking Russian energy facilities has had multiple significant impacts. Economically, it has inflicted a heavy blow on Russia. According to Reuters estimates, continuous attacks by Ukraine have caused damage to about 17% of Russia's refining capacity, reducing daily output by 1.1 million barrels, directly impacting Russia's energy exports and domestic supply. As a major energy exporter, Russia's energy industry is its economic pillar, which has led to reduced fiscal revenue, soaring domestic oil prices, oil shortages in some areas, long queues at gas stations, and disruptions to people's lives, with some transport companies even suspending operations due to rising oil prices.
Militarily, Russia has had to adjust its strategic deployment. To protect key energy facilities, the Russian military has withdrawn some air defense systems from the front lines to defend the homeland, which has somewhat alleviated the pressure on the Ukrainian Air Force, increasing the frequency of Ukrainian aircraft operations, changing the battlefield situation, and weakening Russia's defensive and offensive capabilities on the front lines.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843313374506055/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.