Wagner Mercenaries Are Guarding Fuel Moving from Belarus to Russia

As a result of systematic and successful Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, Moscow faces a fuel shortage and has turned to Belarus for help. According to Ukraine’s National Resistance Center (CNR), Minsk is now actively increasing fuel supplies to Russia.

This assertion is supported by local reports, that Belarusian oil refineries have seen a surge in the production of aviation jet fuel which is being supplied to Russia on rail shipments.

According to the CNR, fighters from the Wagner private military company along with a Russian Interior Ministry security battalion have been engaged to provide security for the consignments.

According to the CNR, “Lukashenko's regime is unable to cover the Russian deficit, and this is only a way of patching holes.”

However, a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) told Kyiv Post that they were unable to confirm these reports.

Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries and storage sites in Russia have intensified as the Kyiv’s special forces carry out a strategy aimed at denying Moscow’s troops with their essential fuel supply.

According to Bloomberg, citing the Pentagon's intelligence directorate, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure earlier this year knocked out 14% of the country's refining capacity.

The loss of this capacity had led to a 20-30 percent increase in Russian domestic fuel prices by mid-March and the Kremlin had put a ban on fuel exports to satisfy domestic demands.

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Unnamed European intelligence officials said the drone is designated Garpiya-A1, though details on the drone – including its type and deployments – remain extremely scarce.

According to the news site, although the attacks on refineries are aimed at depleting fuel and export revenues for Putin's armed forces, the United States has criticized them for posing a risk to world oil prices.

On the night of May 19, HUR conducted another special operation in Russia and attacked the Vyborg oil depot in the Leningrad region, during which Kyiv Post sources said that three explosive devices were used to hit vertical fuel tanks.