Ukraine says it hit a key fuel pipeline near Moscow that supplies Russian forces

Ukrainian forces have struck a critical fuel pipeline in Russia, delivering what military intelligence officials described as a “serious blow” to Moscow’s war logistics. The operation targeted the Koltsevoy pipeline in the Moscow region late Friday, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence agency HUR.

The 400-kilometer (250-mile) pipeline supplies the Russian military with essential fuels, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from refineries in Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Moscow. Ukrainian officials claim the strike near Ramensky district successfully destroyed all three fuel lines, disrupting infrastructure capable of transporting up to 3 million tons of jet fuel, 2.8 million tons of diesel, and 1.6 million tons of gasoline annually.

“Our strikes have had more impact than sanctions,” said Kyrylo Budanov, head of HUR, referring to the international restrictions imposed on Russia since its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, intense fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, particularly around the strategic city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Saturday its forces defeated Ukrainian special forces sent to reinforce the embattled city, even releasing videos purportedly showing captured Ukrainian soldiers. The authenticity of these videos could not be independently verified.

The battle for Pokrovsk has produced conflicting narratives from both sides. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently claimed his forces had encircled Ukrainian defenders in the city. However, Ukrainian Army Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi contradicted this assertion on Saturday, stating that while the situation remains “hardest” for Ukrainian troops, “there is no encirclement or blockade as Moscow has maintained.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged Friday that some Russian units had infiltrated Pokrovsk but insisted Ukrainian forces were working to eliminate them. He revealed Russia had deployed approximately 170,000 troops in Donetsk as part of a major offensive aimed at capturing the city and securing a significant battlefield victory.

Military analysts suggest Putin is attempting to demonstrate Ukraine’s inability to withstand Russia’s military superiority, particularly to the United States, which has been pressing for peace negotiations. The capture of Pokrovsk would represent a substantial advance in Moscow’s stated goal of controlling the entire Donbas region, Ukraine’s industrial heartland comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. Currently, Kyiv still controls about 10 percent of this resource-rich territory.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian forces continued their campaign of strikes against civilian and energy infrastructure. An Iskander ballistic missile struck the southern Mykolaiv region on Saturday morning, killing one civilian and wounding 19 others, including a 9-year-old girl, according to regional official Vitaliy Kim. Another Russian strike ignited a fire at a gas plant in central Poltava region.

Overnight, Russia launched a massive drone attack, with Ukrainian air defense forces reporting they shot down 206 of 223 drones. The remaining 17 struck targets across seven Ukrainian regions. These attacks are part of what Kyiv describes as Moscow’s “systematic energy terror,” which earlier this week caused widespread power outages and restrictions across Ukraine.

Russian authorities also reported intercepting 98 Ukrainian drones overnight, including six approaching Moscow. While no casualties were reported, the city of Zhukovsky, located 40 kilometers southeast of the Russian capital, experienced an unusual large-scale power outage that local officials attributed to an “automatic equipment shutdown.”

As winter approaches, the targeting of energy infrastructure on both sides has emerged as a critical aspect of the conflict, with potential severe consequences for civilian populations as temperatures drop in the coming months.