Putin humiliated as troops ‘forced to buy petrol at stations’ as Ukraine bombs refineries | World | News
Russian soldiers had to buy fuel for their vehicles from fuel stations as the army’s own supplies were exhausted. But in a classic Catch-22, soldiers couldn’t even buy fuel at gas stations due to widespread shortages caused by Ukraine’s constant bombing of Russia’s oil refineries.
Kiev has stepped up its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in an attempt to prevent fuel from reaching front-line units and prevent the Kremlin from financing its war machine. The sale of both oil and gas is one of the Kremlin’s main sources of revenue, allowing it to finance its brutal war in Ukraine. Kiev’s strategic targeting of oil depots with drones and missiles has severely affected production.
Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Moscow’s oil refining capacity has decreased by up to 20%.
The effects of Ukraine’s attacks were also felt by Russian drivers, who had to queue for hours at gas stations due to dwindling stocks.
Now it appears that fuel shortages have spread throughout the Russian military, forcing soldiers to buy gasoline from gas stations.
A Russian soldier in Donetsk filmed his desperate attempt to get 120 liters of fuel for his vehicle. When he approached the cashier, the woman informed him that supplies were low and he would need ration coupons to purchase what was left in stock.
“This is necessary for soldiers, for combat missions, for evacuees, for the evacuation of the wounded… [I need] 120 liters of gasoline,” the soldier begs.
“I can’t give you fuel I don’t have,” the cashier replies. “I have some fuel left, but you [only] with coupons, at the behest of gas station management.”
The angry soldier replies: “What kind of a joke is this?… Nothing is more important than the lives of soldiers.
“It’s the same nonsense that’s happening. What do you mean? There’s some kind of nonsense going on.”
To turn insult into injury, black marketeers can be seen selling gasoline for cash on the gas station forecourt.
Meanwhile, on Thursday night, Ukrainian drones targeted the Slavneft-YANOS refinery, one of Russia’s largest refineries in the north and a key supplier of fuel for military logistics.
