Putin's fuel plans ablaze as Ukraine launches devastating drone strike
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Some Russian fuel depots have gone up in flames after being targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks. The strikes happened shortly before Donald Trump returns to the White House, amid signs he will use oil sanctions to strong-arm Vladimir Putin to agree to peace in the war. An overnight strike on Lyudinovo in Kaluga region ignited a key oil facility supplying the Putin war machine.
The Uzlovaya oil depot in Tula region was also engulfed in flames after an attack by Ukraine. This followed a double strike by Ukrainian drones on an aviation fuel base in Engels, Saratov region, where fire was raging ten days after the initial hit. The inferno has cut fuel supplies for Putin's strategic nuclear bomber aircraft - Tu-95 and Tu-160 - based at nearby Engels-2 air base. Another key oil depot at Liski in Voronezh region continued to burn the day after it was hit by Ukrainian drones.
Ukraine has already limited Russian oil exports with repeated strikes on oil facilities. The latest dramatic attacks comes as the incoming Trump administration has strongly hinted at using oil as a key bargaining chip in pressuring Putin to agree to a ceasefire in the war.
Trump's pick for US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made clear he was ready to see higher oil prices to put pressure on Kremlin oil companies whose sanctions-evading revenues are funding the Russian war. He said: "If any officials in the Russian Federation are watching this confirmation hearing, they should know that if I'm confirmed and if President Trump requests it, as part of his strategy to end the Ukraine war, I will be 100 per cent on board from taking sanctions up, especially on the Russian oil majors to levels that would bring the Russian Federation to the table.".
