Trump’s Bombshell: Russia Has Lost Control of Its Diesel Oil Industry

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Become a Member Today and Unlock EXCLUSIVE Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfak8fBm_Lhy4eX9UKxEpA/join  Ukraine’s deep-strike strategy has achieved a major milestone, taking over 45% of Russia's total oil refining capacity offline. Precision drone strikes against critical processing infrastructure—such as primary distillation units in key facilities including the Moscow and Kuibyshev refineries—have severely disrupted Russian fuel production. This campaign has crippled Moscow's refined fuel exports, triggered domestic gasoline shortages across Russia, and applied immense financial pressure on the Kremlin's war economy.     ⏱️ CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Ukraine Drones Knock Out 45% Russian Refining 01:08 - Deep Strike Drones Target Syzran Oil Refinery 02:18 - Slavneft-YANOS Yaroslavl Refinery AVT-3 Unit Destroyed 03:32 - Gazpromneft Moscow Oil Refinery Fire Attack 04:46 - Kuibyshev Samara Refinery Hit By Drone Swarms 06:02 - Russian Fuel Shortages Reintroduce Gasoline Rationing 07:18 - Russia Ban On Diesel and Gasoline Fuel Exports 08:34 - Ukraine Drones Attack Siberian Long-Range Refineries 09:50 - Donald Trump Demands End To Russia Energy Strikes 11:06 - US Sanctions Bill Targets Russian Oil Buyers 12:20 - India and China Face US Tariffs On Russian Oil 13:36 - Russian Oil Revenue Drops $33 Billion 14:52 - Kremlin Imports Gasoline From Belarus Fuel Shortage 16:08 - Ukraine Energy Sector Defense Counter-Offensive 17:42 - Is the Russian Oil Industry Collapsing?  Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join  #militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis #themilitaryshow  SOURCES:

Transcript

00:01It's big, it's bold and it's blowing up Russian oil at a remarkable rate.

00:07Ukraine's refinery-shattering strategy is hardly a revelation at this point.

00:12Deep strike drones have been devastating Russian oil for a couple of years now,

00:17but this strategy is working better than anybody could have expected Russia most of all.

00:23More capacity is going down, more problems have arrived for Putin and his cronies.

00:28Ukraine is taking everything away from Russia,

00:31as it has sapped the country's most valuable resource to the point

00:35where close to half of Russia's refining capacity is offline.

00:40That's according to Ukraine's general staff,

00:43which published an illuminating Facebook post.

00:47The Facebook post itself was interesting.

00:49A week in review, it showcased a mind-boggling number of Ukrainian strikes

00:54against oil refineries, Russian equipment and military facilities,

00:57all in Russia and the other occupied territories.

01:00But the most important morsel of information was tucked away right in the middle,

01:05almost hidden within a single statement.

01:07As of 21 September 2026, following the strike on the Moscow oil refinery,

01:12more than 45% of Russia's projected oil refining capacity has been put out of operation,

01:18Ukraine's general staff said.

01:20That figure should be shouted from the rooftops, but for Ukraine,

01:23it almost seems like another day at the office.

01:26It isn't though.

01:27Russia losing 45% of its oil refining capacity is having massive ramifications,

01:33both domestically and in terms of Putin's ability to wage war.

01:37But before we dig deeper, everything you see here is researched, verified and produced by real people.

01:44If you value that, subscribe, comment below and consider becoming a member for access to exclusive content.

01:51This capacity loss is the result of a non-stop barrage of Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries,

01:57with many of those refineries being hit several times in quick succession to make repair efforts even slower and costlier.

02:05We only need to look at the weekly review of refinery strikes,

02:08which the general staff declares is an exercise of Ukraine's inherent right to self-adherence under Article 51 of the

02:16UN Charter to see that.

02:18The week beginning September 15th has seen Ukraine hit three Russian oil refineries.

02:24It started with the Sisran refinery in the Samara region,

02:28where Ukraine's drones destroyed an AVT-6 primary crude distillation unit,

02:33along with a tank farm on September 15th.

02:36That refinery has a capacity of 8.5 million tonnes of crude oil per year.

02:41Two days later came a strike against the Slavnev-Yanos refinery in Yaroslavl,

02:46which saw Ukraine destroy the refinery's AVT-3 distillation unit.

02:51That's a refinery with a 15 million ton capacity taken offline.

02:55On September 20th, Ukraine finished off its week of refinery ruination with the strike against the Moscow refinery that the

03:03general staff mentioned.

03:04The Gazprom-Nef Moscow oil refinery went up in flames as Ukraine took out an AVT-6 unit,

03:10an isomerisation unit and the refinery's integrated crude processing unit.

03:15The mentions of specific units and pieces of equipment shows us how well Ukraine's deep strike drones have evolved.

03:22In the past, we'd been telling you about fires at refineries with no specifics.

03:27Now Ukraine's drones are insanely accurate.

03:31Ukraine is targeting specific units and equipment in Russia's refineries that it knows are hard to repair and even harder

03:38to replace.

03:38An entire refinery doesn't have to go up in smoke to take it offline.

03:42If just a few pieces of key equipment get destroyed, the whole operation ends up collapsing until Russia can carry

03:48out repairs.

03:49Heavily sanctioned Russia.

03:51Russia which is quickly running out of the components it needs to make those repairs.

03:55The Moscow strike was important for other reasons, as it served as a timely reminder to the city's residents that

04:03Ukraine can reach the Russian capital with its drones.

04:05That reminder came as Muscovites were heading to the polls to cast their votes on the final day of the

04:11State Duma elections, making Ukraine's message even more pointed.

04:15We mentioned earlier that Ukraine has a tendency to hit regions that host refineries several times in quick succession.

04:22Well, you can add Samara to that list.

04:25On September 22nd, the news broke that a Ukrainian drone swarm had struck the Samara Oblast once more, triggering a

04:33massive fire at the Klybyshev oil refinery.

04:37Astra has already shared a photo of the refinery, which is engulfed in a massive blaze.

04:41The same outlet has also geo-located the strike, confirming that it was indeed the refinery that was hit, rather

04:48than some vague industrial enterprise, as Samara governor Vyacheslav Fedoryshev tried to put it.

04:54This particular refinery has a processing capacity of about 7 million tonnes of crude oil per year, and it produced

05:01about 800,000 tonnes of gasoline in 2024, the Kyiv Post reports.

05:06The second strike in Samara in a week also represents the second strike against this particular refinery, as it was

05:13hit back in June, forcing a temporary suspension of its operations.

05:17If you're a Russian fuel company right now, you must feel as though Ukraine's strikes are never-ending.

05:22That's the point.

05:23The second Samara strike makes four attacks in seven days, all of which are part of Ukraine's plan.

05:29A relentless bombardment of key facilities that clearly don't have the defences that they need sends a message to the

05:35Kremlin, and it utterly ruins Russia's attempts to profit from its refined oil products.

05:40And, as you'll soon learn, also causes some serious domestic issues.

05:45The scale of Russia's refinery problem is outlined by the International Energy Agency.

05:51It points out that Russia has 32 major oil refineries, which collectively have a capacity of 6.5 million barrels

05:58per day.

05:59That makes Russia third in the global list of producers of refined oil products, ranking behind only the US and

06:06China.

06:06Ukraine's approach is to hit as many of Russia's refineries as often as possible, ensuring that Russia can't approach anywhere

06:13near its maximum refining capacity.

06:172026 has been a banner year for this strategy.

06:20In the first eight months of the year, Ukraine carried out a strike against a Russian refinery once every three

06:25days on average.

06:26We might be seeing Ukraine accelerate this strike rate.

06:29Four strikes in seven days means Ukraine is now carrying out a refinery attack once every 1.75 days.

06:37Russia's refining has plummeted to 3.8 million barrels per day.

06:41Though that may sound like a lot.

06:44It represents the lowest level of refining for 20 years, and it's about 30% less than Russia's daily output

06:50in 2025.

06:52Diesel production has dropped by 30%, gasoline production by 20%.

06:57And none of the emergency measures that Russia is putting in place are helping because the Kremlin can't solve the

07:03biggest problem that it has.

07:05There aren't enough air defences to go around.

07:08If there were, we wouldn't be seeing Ukraine's drones penetrating Russia's refineries on what is starting to approach a daily

07:14basis.

07:14A strike every 1.75 days, or even a strike every three days, doesn't happen without the systematic collapse of

07:21air defences,

07:22combined with Ukraine's drones getting faster, stronger, and rangier than they were before.

07:28The impact is clear. We see it all over Russia.

07:32And thinking that it had gotten over the hump of its 2026 gasoline crisis earlier in the year,

07:37Russia has plunged headlong right back into another fuel shortage that is racking the country.

07:43Since mid-August, gasoline rationing has been reintroduced at gas stations across Russia,

07:49after a July when restrictions were briefly eased.

07:52If you're an average Russian citizen, your day now involves trying to track which stations have fuel using apps that

07:59may not work

08:00because your president keeps ordering internet shutdowns.

08:03If you find a gas station, you have to queue, often, for hours just to get to the pump.

08:08And once you get there, assuming the pump has fuel, you're paying more than you've ever paid before to keep

08:14your vehicle running.

08:15At best, you'll be able to get 30 litres of gasoline at a price that is, on average, 21%

08:20higher than it was in December 2025.

08:23We're in mid-September now, and according to UNN, gasoline has straight-up disappeared from up to 53% of

08:30Russia's gas stations.

08:31What a situation for Russia to be in.

08:34One of the world's most oil-rich countries, and the third most productive in terms of refining.

08:40Can't produce enough fuel for half its gas stations.

08:43And this is just the start of Russia's fuel problems.

08:47Before we explain more, this is a reminder that you're watching the military show.

08:51If this kind of insight into the many problems Ukraine is causing Russia is what you want to see,

08:56make sure that you're subscribed to the channel and have notifications enabled so you never miss a video.

09:01If Russia is having so many issues trying to keep its domestic fuel supplies up,

09:05you can only imagine what this means for its fuel exports.

09:09Don't forget, Russia makes billions of dollars a year selling gasoline, diesel, and other refined oil products.

09:16Along with basic crude oil, these products are a key financial artery pumping cash into Putin's war chest.

09:23Naturally, if Russia can't even keep domestic supplies high enough, it absolutely isn't going to be able to sell fuel.

09:29Indeed, there are export bans on gasoline and diesel that apply to every retail company in Russia.

09:35Back in July, Russia extended these export bans through to January 31st, 2027, on top of banning jet fuel exports

09:43until November.

09:44Refineries were spared some of these restrictions.

09:46A refinery was allowed to export diesel directly, though other retailers couldn't.

09:51Refineries could also sell ship fuel and gas oil abroad again, only if they did it directly, but they couldn't

09:57sell gasoline.

09:58And they couldn't go down their usual route of selling to retailers who then sell their refined oil products on

10:04for a profit.

10:05That exception didn't last for long.

10:08On September 16th, the New Voice of Ukraine reported that there is now a ban on domestic producers exporting diesel,

10:14which will run through to the end of October at least.

10:17It appears that even Russia's attempts to make exceptions so it can still pull in tax money from diesel sales

10:23are falling apart.

10:24Ukraine seems to have noticed all of these diesel problems that Russia is having, and it's turning the screw.

10:30By September 16th, Ukraine seemed to have started placing a focus on Russian refineries that produce diesel.

10:36According to the Kyiv Independent, Russia has six major diesel-producing refineries,

10:41and three of them have been forced to either slash or outright halt their diesel production as a result of

10:47Ukraine's strikes.

10:48None of these refineries, which include facilities in Siberia, Permkrai and Leningrad,

10:53are on the list of four strikes Ukraine carried out in the single week that we mentioned.

10:57But that isn't a bad thing. It shows us that Ukraine is still taking aim at gasoline-producing refineries.

11:04Still, Ukraine clearly sees that Russia has a diesel problem,

11:07and it's going to make sure that problem only gets worse as it sends yet more drones into Russian territory.

11:14Shortages and export bans mean that the money is drying up for Russia.

11:18In truth, we've been seeing that pattern for several years.

11:21According to United24 Media, Russia made $133.8 billion in revenue from oil and gas sales in 2024.

11:30In 2025, which is when Ukraine's refinery strikes escalated in earnest, the number was down to about $100 billion.

11:37That was at a time when Russia's only saving grace has been the impact of Operation Epic Fury on oil

11:43prices,

11:44which has at least helped it to plug a gap a little in 2026, as it could sell crude oil

11:49for more money.

11:50But even with that short-term boost, Russia's federal budget deficit is now almost $77 billion,

11:56and it's clear that losing out on the ability to export gasoline and diesel is having a marked effect on

12:02the country.

12:02Do you want to know how bad things really are for Russia as a result of Ukraine's brilliant and bold

12:08strategy?

12:09Even US President Donald Trump is publicly telling Putin that Russia's oil industry is in shambles.

12:15In a September 21 Truth Social post, Trump declared,

12:20Russia has unfortunately lost control of its diesel oil industry due to its war with Ukraine.

12:25A large number of their diesel refineries have been blown up and are at least temporarily out of commission.

12:32He made a call for the war with Ukraine to end, noting that some 25,000 people are killed as

12:38a result of the war every month.

12:39Putin didn't respond, at least not publicly.

12:43But Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky saw the message and took to X to agree with Trump.

12:48However, Zelensky pointed out that there will be no stopping refinery strikes until Russia stops hitting Ukraine's energy sector.

12:55Right now, there is a dialogue with President Trump and America.

12:58There are also ideas on the table for bringing peace closer, starting with strong de-escalation steps.

13:05Ukraine's energy sector, crucial infrastructure, and our food exports must stop being targets for Russia.

13:11And this will lead to matching de-escalation steps on our part, Zelensky said.

13:16Right there, Putin should see a solution has been put on the table, but he won't accept it.

13:21Trump seemed to believe that he had negotiated a halt to energy strikes earlier in September.

13:27He claimed on September 14th that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to halt strikes, even going so far as to

13:33blame Ukraine's attacks on Russian refineries for rising diesel prices.

13:37The ceasefire didn't stick. It might not have existed in the first place.

13:41According to The Guardian, Trump's next plan may have been to press Zelensky to stop Ukraine's drone strikes when the

13:47two leaders met face-to-face at the United Nations this past week.

13:51And he'll likely have made the same argument about diesel prices.

13:54But none of this matters if Putin isn't going to stop Russia's attacks.

13:58As long as Russia hits Ukrainian energy, Ukraine will hit Russian refineries.

14:03It's tough to figure out where Trump really stands on all of this, outside of his calls for the war

14:09to end.

14:09On one hand, he seems to be trying to address Putin directly, encouraging him to stop the war.

14:15On the other hand, he seems to be trying to pressure Zelensky into stopping Ukraine's strikes,

14:21perhaps under the mistaken belief that a serial liar like Putin will follow suit and declare a ceasefire.

14:28If Putin thinks that this means that Trump might be coming down on his side when it comes to Ukraine's

14:33refinery campaign, he has another thing coming.

14:36Trump just poured water all over that particular bonfire.

14:40As he calls for the war to end and the energy strikes to stop,

14:44Trump has also signed into law a sanctions bill that was championed by deceased Senator Lindsey Graham.

14:50Trump put pen to paper on September 18th after the bill passed through both the House and the Senate.

14:56And what this bill means is that Russia may soon find that it's unable to rely on the crude oil

15:02sales to plug the revenue gaps left behind by the country's inability to sell fuel products.

15:08Under this 48-page bill, sanctions have been placed on Putin, along with several other senior figures in the Russian

15:13government,

15:14several Russian banks and tankers in the Russian shadow fleet.

15:17But the thing that has the potential to hurt Russia the most is that Trump now has the ability to

15:22levy tariffs of up to 100% on the top five purchases of Russian oil and gas.

15:28In other words, the U.S. can now present Russia's crude oil buyers with a dilemma.

15:32They either continue buying Russia's discounted crude and get slapped with tariffs, or they stop buying Russia's oil and get

15:39to keep a strong trading relationship with the U.S.

15:42For Russia, this means that its two biggest customers, China and India, have become targets for the U.S.

15:49Together, those countries have accounted for 87% of all Russian crude exports between December 2022 and August 2026, the

15:59BBC reports.

16:00The Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air shows us that these percentages didn't change in August when examined

16:06alone,

16:07even as Russia's seaborne crude oil export revenues have fallen by 13%.

16:11This is pressure that Putin does not need right now, and it may be paying off.

16:17China has so far been defiant about America's bill.

16:20Its spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Guajai Kun, declared,

16:24China systematically opposes extraterritorial jurisdiction, which lacks a basis in international law

16:31and does not have the authorization of the United Nations Security Council in the wake of the bill's passing.

16:37Still, this condemnation isn't an outright statement that China isn't going to do what the U.S. wants.

16:43And, at least for China, it gets oil from the Eastern Siberia Pacific Ocean Pipeline system, as well as from

16:49seaborne sources.

16:50So it's able to weigh the benefits of that cheaper oil against the U.S. threats of tariffs.

16:56India isn't so lucky.

16:58Practically all of the crude oil it buys from Russia arrives via the sea, meaning it has an even tougher

17:04choice to make.

17:05And though India has also condemned what it sees as American interference,

17:09its refiners are already preparing for a future where they can't import Russian oil.

17:13That's according to a September 21 report by United24 Media, which points out that deliveries of Russian oil to India

17:20in September

17:21have already fallen to 1.9 million barrels, which is the lowest level they've been at since April.

17:27India's refineries are now actively looking for alternative sources for their November purchases, the outlet adds.

17:34As oil price points out, India now has a problem on its hands.

17:38It could drastically cut imports of Russian oil down to 15% or less of total imports, which is a

17:44condition laid out in Graham's bill.

17:46If a nation gets 15% or less of its energy from Russia, it won't face tariffs.

17:51If India manages that, it avoids U.S. tariffs, though it will be paying more for its oil from places

17:56like Saudi Arabia.

17:57Or India could continue buying Russia's oil at high enough volumes to make itself vulnerable to the new American bill,

18:04meaning it has to deal with sanctions that impact its trade relationship with the U.S.

18:09Ukraine will be watching all of this with glee.

18:11Its refinery strategy has focused on Russian fuel, which has led to Russia banning the export of fuel products,

18:18thus cutting off a financial artery for the Kremlin war machine.

18:21Crude oil sales were propping that machine up.

18:24If Russia couldn't sell gasoline and diesel, it could at least sell the crude used to make those products.

18:30Now, that may no longer be the case, especially if China and India land on the side of avoiding tariffs

18:37by cutting their oil purchases.

18:39And all the while, Russia isn't just losing money from sales.

18:42It's also being forced to spend money.

18:44Between January and August, Russia has imported 866,000 tons of gasoline from Belarus,

18:51which is 23 times more than it imported during the same period in 2025.

18:57Diesel imports have also increased 5.4 times to 570,000 tons.

19:02That amounts to billions spent on a product that Russia can traditionally make for itself,

19:07all because of Ukraine's long-range strategy.

19:10Putin is feeling the squeeze, and that squeeze may just be tight enough to choke Russia.

19:16After all, it's not just the volume of Ukraine's refinery strikes that is the major problem for the Kremlin.

19:20It's the range.

19:22Earlier in September, Ukraine pulled off a record 2,800-kilometer attack against a Russian refinery in Siberia.

19:30More targets are opening up for Ukraine, and you can find out all about it by watching our video.

19:36But before you head away, if real, human-made military reporting matters to you, subscribe and tell us what you

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19:44You can also become a member for exclusive content while directly supporting the work behind this channel.

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