Ukraine strikes Russian refineries and fuel tankers in Sea of Azov as Moscow reports civilian deaths in Kramatorsk and bans fuel exports

Overview

Ukrainian forces escalated their long-range campaign against Russian energy infrastructure, striking two major oil refineries, an oil terminal, an oil depot, and 10 fuel tankers in the Sea of Azov on Friday. The attacks caused fires and prompted Russia to temporarily close the Don-Azov Channel, a key grain-export corridor. Meanwhile, Russian aerial bombs killed four civilians, including a teenager, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, injuring at least nine others.

Ukraine's long-range strikes

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the creation of a "long-range impact" command within the armed forces, signing a decree on Friday to focus resources on reducing Russia's capacity to wage war. Ukraine's general staff confirmed hits on the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, the Ust-Luga gas-processing complex in the Leningrad region, and fuel depots near Taganrog in the Rostov region. Robert Brovdi, Ukraine's drone forces commander, said 10 tankers were attacked in the Sea of Azov on Friday alone, among almost 50 fuel-carrying vessels damaged this week.

Today, I signed a decree establishing a special command within the armed forces (a command aimed at a long-range and, in effect, global impact on Russia in response to this war). This command must focus 100% of available resources on further reducing Russia's capacity to wage war.

Impact on Russian fuel supply

Russia's deputy prime minister Alexander Novak acknowledged fuel shortages on Friday, citing refinery outages caused by drone strikes. Moscow imposed a temporary ban on gasoline and diesel exports. Russian inflation accelerated to 6% in June from 5.3% a month earlier, driven by higher fuel prices, according to Federal Statistics Service data. Russia's border guards notified shipping companies that all requests for passage through the Kerch Strait would not be accepted from 6:10pm local time on Friday.

The shortage is due to obvious reasons, because our oil refineries are partially out of order for repairs due to Ukrainian drone arrivals.

Civilian toll and ground attacks

Russian forces dropped seven aerial bombs on Kramatorsk, striking residential buildings, a shop, and private homes. Regional governor Vadym Filashkin reported four deaths, including a teenager, with at least nine others injured. Filashkin accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians and published photos of burning apartments. The attacks came as Kyiv continued its logistics lockdown aimed at isolating occupied Crimea.

Seven bombs struck residential buildings, a shop and private homes in Kramatorsk on Friday.

Diplomatic and economic context

US Senator Lindsey Graham said on Friday that China could play a decisive role in pressuring Russia to begin peace talks, noting the next several months present a window for a diplomatic solution. Up to one-quarter of Russia's wheat exports pass through the Sea of Azov, making the shipping halt a significant disruption to global grain markets. The Don-Azov Channel closure directly affects three grain-export sources who confirmed the move to Reuters.