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‘Battered’ Putin Vows to Hit Back as Crisis Spirals
The Daily Beast • • world
Key Points:
- Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Ust-Luga fuel terminal, Russia's second-largest oil hub, causing significant fires and further damaging Russian energy infrastructure amid ongoing conflict.
- President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation with large-scale strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, acknowledging the real damage Ukraine's attacks have inflicted on Russia.
- Ukraine's drone strikes on Russian oil refineries reached a record high last month, severely impacting Russia's fuel production and causing domestic shortages, rationing, and soaring prices.
- Despite Putin's claims that 90% of damaged refineries have been repaired, critics like former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky warn that Ukraine's relentless attacks are pushing Russia's oil industry toward a critical breaking point.
- Russia's energy sector, which accounts for around 30% of its budget revenue, remains vital for financing Moscow's war effort, making these attacks a significant strategic challenge for Putin.
