Budanov: We have almost excluded Russians from the gasoline export sector

Ukraine's long-range strikes against Russian companies have virtually excluded the aggressor state from the gasoline export sector. This was stated in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Foglio said the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine Kirill Budanov.

He explained that Ukrainian long-range strikes are focused on two areas. The first is to significantly paralyze the production and refining of Russian oil, which is the main source of revenue for the Russian budget. The second line of intervention is to target and strike the Russian defense industry and companies that produce weapons and equipment for the occupiers.

Budanov stated that the difference between Ukrainian and Russian attacks is obvious: "We are not waging a targeted war against the society of the Russian Federation."

The Ukrainian strikes are already yielding results, as evidenced by the data on Russian exports of hydrocarbons and oil products.

"We have almost excluded them from the gasoline export sector," the DIU chief said, adding that this success is due to the fact that Russian air defense is concentrated on the border, in the occupied territories, and near Moscow and St. Petersburg.

"If you bypass the system deployed along our border, our drones' flights over the Russian Federation always go smoothly," Budanov emphasized.

According to him, Russia is now trying to increase the number of air defense systems, but the volume is too large to protect everything.

According to him, the Russians are trying to compensate for the losses by "exporting more crude oil and liquefied gas to balance their budget revenues."

As for the attacks on the Russian defense industry, there are consequences, but they are less tangible, Budanov added.

"These consequences are harder to decipher because we are creating problems for the pace of Russian military production," the DIU chief summarized.

• On October 8, Zelensky stated that fuel shortage in Russia is already approaching 20%. In particular, he mentioned gasoline.
• On October 24, it was reported that Ryazan refinery shut down operations after the Ukrainian drone attack.