Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports that Russian state media has acknowledged growing fuel shortages across the country. Meanwhile, Russian officials are downplaying Ukraine’s deep strike campaign role in creating the crisis.

Widespread shortages across Russian regions

ISW says Russian Independent Fuel Union told state newspaper Izvestiya on 10 September 2025 that over 10 federal subjects experience fuel shortages. Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, and Rostov oblasts face supply disruptions. Far Eastern regions and occupied Crimea also struggle with fuel availability.

State Duma Anti-Monopoly Committee Expert Council member Dmitry Tortev told Izvestiya that local fuel shortages are becoming widespread. Many gas stations haven’t received refinery deliveries for several weeks. Some stations have shut down completely.

Officials blame seasonal demands

ISW noted:

“Russian officials downplayed the impact of Ukraine’s strike campaign, attributing the fuel shortages to peak vacation season and agricultural demands in August and September 2025.”

ISW continues assessing that Ukraine’s deep strike campaign impacts Russia’s domestic gasoline market. The strikes exacerbate shortages and cause price spikes that will likely push inflation upward. ISW notes that Russian state media openly discussing gasoline shortages suggests the issue is penetrating mainstream Russian society.

In the early hours of 4 September 2025, Ukrainian Defense Forces reportedly struck two radar installations in southern Russia’s Rostov Oblast. Militarnyi reports that the targets were the “Navigation of the South” radar complex (RLS-1) and a site located at a former air defense base.

Ukrainian strike hits Rostov aviation radar

The RLS-1 “Navigation of the South” is part of the Aeronavigation South branch infrastructure in Rostov-on-Don. It performs key functions in air traffic management over southern Russia, including aircraft detection and tracking, route coordination, flight support, aviation radio communication, and fixed satellite links. The complex is part of Russia’s centralized air traffic control system.

Ukrainian Telegram channel Krymskyi Veter reported that a fire broke out at the site on 4 September, as shown by NASA’s FIRMS map that features detected thermal signatures at the location. 

Strike also hits former air defense base

NASA data also show that the second site was on the grounds of a former air defense unit (military unit 65312) and military town that previously hosted the 1244th anti-aircraft missile regiment, which had been equipped with S-300PS surface-to-air missile systems in the 1990s. In 1997, the unit was merged with the 584th regiment and moved to Maryino in Moscow Oblast.

Militarnyi notes that Russia likely decided to restore the site for use in the war. A radar complex similar to RLS-1, believed to perform similar tasks, is located at the site. 

August radar strike in occupied Crimea

On 12 August, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces destroyed the Skala-M radar station in Russian-occupied Crimea. The station was used for air traffic control along routes and approach zones, with a range of up to 350 kilometers. Images published by Dnipro Osint showed the station before and after the strike.

A drone attack on Russian regions damaged a railway station in the Rostov Oblast, located close to the border with Ukraine, and caused significant disruptions to rail traffic, with 26 passenger trains experiencing delays.

The overnight strike hit the Kuteynikovo railway station in the Chertkovsky district, according to acting governor of the Rostov region Yuriy Slyusar. The attack damaged the station’s contact network and left an unexploded ordnance on the building’s roof, prompting the evacuation of all passengers and staff.

“No people were injured. The building is now cordoned off. Sappers have been called,” Slyusar stated, however, this information is not independently verified.

He added that station personnel are assisting affected passengers while trains continue operating with delays.

Russian Railways confirmed that all delayed trains are proceeding along their scheduled routes despite the disruptions. The company reported the maximum delay reached 4 hours and 15 minutes as of 6:00 a.m. Moscow time.

The incident occurred as Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted 105 Ukrainian drones overnight, with 25 allegedly shot down over the Rostov Oblast specifically. Ukrainian officials have not issued any statements regarding these reported operations.

Meanwhile, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with a massive coordinated assault on the night of 3 September, launching 526 missiles and drones across multiple regions. Ukrainian air defense systems successfully intercepted 451 of the incoming targets.

The attack caused widespread damage across the country. Four railway workers were injured in central Kirovohrad Oblast when strikes targeted rail infrastructure, while western regions including Lutsk, Khmelnytskyi, and Ivano-Frankivsk experienced fires and structural damage from drone attacks.

A fire still burns at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery—Rostov Oblast’s only refinery—after it was struck by Ukrainian drones three days ago. The facility ranks among southern Russia’s largest, with a processing capacity of approximately 100,000 barrels per day (about 5 million tonnes annually).

The drone attack at Novoshakhtinsk is one in a recent series targeting Russia’s energy infrastructure. In the past weeks, several major refineries—including Syzran, Volgograd, Novokuibyshevsk, Ryazan, and Saratov—have sustained fires, temporary shutdowns, or capacity reductions following drone and missile strikes.

Fire still rages at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov Oblast — hit by Ukrainian drones 3 days ago.

One of southern Russia’s biggest (5M t/yr). Locals face water cuts, toxic air & 4 months unpaid wages — yet workers are still forced in.

Video: exilenova+ pic.twitter.com/0O0oKip5jB

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) August 23, 2025

Escalating air war and energy disruption

These assaults are part of intensified air campaigns from both sides. Ukraine has increasingly struck petroleum infrastructure—refineries, depots, pipelines—while Russia retaliates with drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, civilian areas, and energy facilities.

As military expert Yigal Levin notes: “Targeting fuel infrastructure is strategic warfare—and it’s taking a heavy toll.”

Civilian hardship: water, air, and wages

Residents in Novoshakhtinsk and surrounding areas are grappling with deteriorating conditions. Water pressure has dropped sharply; some areas, like Krasny Sulin, now lack running water altogether. Air quality has become dangerously poor.

Meanwhile, workers at the refinery are still being required to come to work—despite four months of unpaid wages. Levin succinctly notes: “People are showing up—but their pay never arrives.”

How the strike happened

On the morning of 21 August, Ukrainian long-range “kamikaze” drones pierced local air defenses, despite the refinery being guarded by two Pantsir and one Tor anti-air systems. Residents reported around five explosions, which ignited the blaze.

Why this matters

• Military and economic impact: The refinery is vital for both regional fuel supply and military logistics.
• Humanitarian concerns: Communities face basic service breakdowns amid the emergency.
• Strategic priority: The targeting of energy assets underscores the growing importance of infrastructure in warfare tactics.

Ukraine's Armed Forces struck the Atlas oil depot in Russia's Rostov Oblast overnight on June 23, the General Staff reported.

The attack ignited a fire at the site, with Ukrainian forces saying the strike had reached its intended target. The facility supplies fuel and lubricants to Russian military units.

Yuri Slyusar, the acting governor of Rostov Oblast, confirmed that a fire occurred at an industrial facility after the attack. He added that no one was injured.

The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, according to the military.

Located near the Azov Sea and bordering Ukraine, Rostov Oblast plays a crucial logistical role for Russia's war effort due to its proximity to front-line operations. The same depot was previously targeted in November 2024.

"The defense forces continue to take all measures to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian occupiers and force the Russian Federation to stop its armed aggression against Ukraine," the General Staff said.

The strike is part of Ukraine's broader campaign aimed at disrupting Russian supply chains and degrading its capacity to sustain the full-scale invasion.

Fuel depots, rail infrastructure, and ammunition stockpiles inside Russia and occupied territories have increasingly become targets for long-range drone and missile strikes.

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The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko