Russia’s energy infrastructure has taken a hammering after a string of explosions knocked out three major oil and gas pipelines within a 24-hour period. Ukrainian military intelligence sources confirmed that the Kuibyshev-Lysychansk pipeline in Saratov Oblast—capable of moving 82 million tons of oil annually—was crippled in the early hours of September 8.
The line had been supplying petroleum products directly to Russian military units.
The Saratov strike followed blasts in Penza Oblast just hours earlier, where at least four explosions ripped through the Zheleznodorozhny district. Those attacks disabled two main gas pipeline tubes with a combined capacity of 2 million bpd, along with two regional lines, according to HUR, Ukraine’s intelligence directorate. Both sets of pipelines were reportedly tied to Russian military operations.
Moscow has downplayed the disruption, with state media describing the incidents as “planned exercises” by Transneft Druzhba in coordination with emergency services. Locals were urged to stay calm.
This marks the third time in a single day that Russia’s oil and gas arteries have come under fire—an escalation in Ukraine’s campaign to disrupt Moscow’s war machine by targeting energy flows. The strikes are part of a broader pattern since the full-scale invasion began, with Kyiv increasingly relying on long-range drones and sabotage to squeeze Russia’s fuel supply lines.
While the full extent of the damage remains unclear, the hits land at a sensitive moment for Russia. Domestic fuel markets are already tight, and the loss of major infrastructure could push Moscow closer to the crisis line.
Beyond the pipeline attacks, Ukraine has also stepped up drone strikes on Russia’s refining backbone. Rosneft’s Ryazan refinery—one of the country’s largest with 260,000 bpd of capacity, or 5% of national throughput—was hit again this month, alongside earlier strikes on Rosneft’s Saratov plant (140,000 bpd) and Lukoil’s Volgograd refinery, a key fuel supplier in southern Russia. The Ust-Luga port complex on the Baltic has also sustained heavy damage, with repairs at one unit expected to take six months. With at least half a dozen refineries disrupted in recent weeks, Russia is facing mounting pressure to boost crude exports instead of processing at home—just as the EU and U.S. weigh fresh coordinated sanctions to further choke Moscow’s oil revenues.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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