Ukraine Targets Russia's Fuel Distribution Layer, Not Just Oil Production

Ukrainian drones struck Moscow's petroleum-product pipeline rings in May, shifting focus from crude refineries to the finished-fuel distribution system serving both civilian economy and military supply chains. The tactic compresses Russia's strategic depth: finished-product pipelines lack the substitution flexibility and stockpiling margin of raw crude infrastructure. Combined with strikes on the Urals and recent hits on the Moscow Oil Refinery, the pattern reflects a counter-logistics doctrine—degrading supply at multiple nodes to force reliance on reserves rather than production flow.