Ukraine's Refinery Campaign: Asymmetric Attrition by Design

Ukraine is methodically striking Russian refineries—Kapotnya offline until 2027, Krasnodar and Yaroslavl hit June 28—exploiting a cost mismatch: drones worth tens of thousands damage infrastructure requiring hundreds of millions to repair. Sanctions have lengthened Russian repair timelines. Without manpower or artillery parity, Ukraine trades cheap precision tools for months of production loss and pressure on revenues funding the war effort.