Fuel stations are among the civilian infrastructure being targeted in Russia's latest campaign against Ukraine. According to Ukrainian officials, more than 200 fuel stations were hit in June and July, with nearly three strikes reported every day, CNN reported.
Ukrainian authorities said that the attacks are intended to intimidate civilians by targeting fuel stations, which have become important facilities for people during the war.
The attacks have mainly targeted fuel stations close to the front lines, which are within easier reach of Russian attack drones. Airstrikes, long-range drones and smaller attack UAVs have also struck targets near Kyiv.
Police officer Mykhailo Tsypliakov, who was injured while responding to a drone strike at a burning fuel station, said the attacks were meant to spread panic among civilians.
“I saw a flash, then got up right away. I saw that my arm, legs and torso were injured," Tsypliakov said, adding that they were aimed “to intimidate, to sow fear and panic. Panic is the scariest thing right now. Because when a person panics, they lose control of themselves.”
Authorities call it deliberate targeting
Officials in Ukraine say the strikes are focused on infrastructure with no direct military role. Zaporizhzhia's acting mayor Regina Kharchenko said the city recorded 54 attacks on fuel stations in just 24 days, leaving four people dead and 29 injured.
“This is deliberate terrorism targeting civilian infrastructure and civilians. Russia is deliberately targeting facilities that have no military significance, but… are essential to the daily functioning of a big city," Kharchenko was quoted as saying by CNN.
Fuel stations have become vital
Since the war began, fuel stations have served purposes beyond refuelling vehicles. According to Yaroslav Starovoitenko, president of the Ukrainian Oil and Gas Association, many stations provided electricity through generators, warm shelter and basic facilities during power outages caused by earlier Russian attacks.
“These were places where people could drink hot tea, fill up their cars, warm up, and even prepare milk for their babies,” Starovoitenko added.
Part of a wider escalation
The attacks come amid a wider escalation in Russia's strikes on Ukraine. Overnight into Saturday, Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least nine people and injured more than two dozen others, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service. The United Nations has also reported that June was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since 2022.
Ukrainians believe the attacks are intended to create the same disruption seen in Russia after repeated Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, which led to long queues at fuel stations around Moscow and other major cities.
