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“We Are Seeing Results”: Zelenskyy Says Drone, Missile Attacks Causing Up to 20% Russian Fuel Shortfall
Ukraine’s long-range drone and missile campaign is beginning to reshape the Russian war economy, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing a string of “positive developments”—from precision strikes on ammunition depots to major disruptions in Russia’s fuel supply.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said recent strikes deep inside Russia are producing “positive” effects, naming several weapon systems and outcomes he said have begun to shape Moscow’s logistics and fuel markets, Zelenskyy stated in an interview with journalists on October 9.
“…there are positive developments. Palianytsia has already begun hitting enemy ammo depots in dozens of cases,” Zelenskyy said. “That’s a positive development, because there were different situations, and now we’re no longer talking about isolated incidents.”
He also highlighted naval and long-range drone strikes: “Another positive development is Ruta, our missile-drone, has for the first time struck a maritime platform at 250+ kilometers. The biggest success has been Liutyi and Fire Point —they were used en masse, up to 300 units, and that was a serious operation.”
Zelenskyy claimed those strikes extend Ukraine’s reach to Russian ports and coastal hubs. “We understand that Ust-Luga and Primorsk are now within reach. What happened, in my view, is really a major success,” he said.
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The President also addressed Russian fuel shortages, citing Ukrainian intelligence estimates that Moscow is already facing a gasoline shortfall he put “up to around 20%” of needs.
“According to our data, the enemy’s gasoline shortage is up to around 20% of needs; estimates vary from 13 to 20%—but it is confirmed that the shortage is already significant,” Zelenskyy said.
He added that Ukraine has combat operations using both Neptune and Flamingo missiles.
“And in the past week—I won’t give numbers—we have used our Neptune –Flamingo pair. The corresponding results can be analyzed independently. We are not talking about en masse use of this pair. We are only saying that it has been used, and there are initial signs of such success with this particular weapon.”
When a journalist asked specifically about Russia’s energy sector and the causes of the fuel squeeze, Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s intelligence is tracking shifts in Russia’s imports and trade policy, though he cautioned the figures require verification before being publicly certified.
“The key point is that they are importing gasoline—that’s a signal. I have information from our intelligence services, though it needs to be carefully verified before sharing,” he said.
Zelenskyy went on to list the fuel import picture Ukraine is monitoring: “For example, regarding imports, we already have some data: they’re importing from Belarus and China. Imports from Belarus have increased sixfold, and they’ve removed import duties. All this still requires verification, but these figures are telling in any case. They have a ban on gasoline exports and restrictions on diesel exports. This still needs to be verified, but we believe that they’ve lost up to 20% of their gasoline supply—directly as a result of our strikes.”
Earlier, reports emerged that Belarus increased gasoline shipments to Russia by rail in September, as some Russian regions face temporary fuel shortages.
According to sources cited by the agency, deliveries from Belarusian refineries to the Russian market reached 40,000 metric tons last month, while diesel shipments totaled 33,000 tons. Transit of Belarusian fuel through Russian ports for export grew slightly, by around 1%, to 140,000 tons.
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