Since start of year, 160 strikes behind enemy lines destroy 48% of enemy Pantsir systems – SBU chief
Since the beginning of this year, the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has struck a number of oil production and oil refining facilities behind enemy lines, which has led to a shortage of Russian oil products; in addition, 48% of the enemy Pantsir air defense system, which is actively countering Ukrainian long-range drones, has been destroyed, SBU head Vasyl Maliuk has said.
"We have deep strikes, work in the deep rear using UAVs. This is a distance of 130 km plus. It is also worth emphasizing that to fulfill the tasks of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief - the President of Ukraine, we are striking precisely legitimate targets - oil production, oil refining. This is 90% of the Russian Federation’s defense budget," Maliuk said during a briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.
According to him, since the beginning of this year, there have been almost 160 successful strikes behind enemy lines on oil production and oil refining facilities.
"If we take September and October of this year, then these are 20 facilities. Among them are six refineries, two oil terminals, three oil depots and nine oil pumping stations," Maliuk said.
According to him, this led to a deficit of more than 20% on the Russian oil products market, to the idleness of 37% of oil refining capacities, as well as to a deficit in 57 regions of the Russian Federation of the relevant oil products and a ban on the export of gasoline until the end of this year.
Maliuk did not announce further plans of the SBU for actions behind enemy lines, but noted that the Service is not stopping in this direction. "For obvious reasons, I will not give any details of what we are planning," he said.
He added: "There are many new views, fresh approaches in this work (deep strikes). These are new means, new combat units, new methods and means of communication. The head of the SBU admitted that the enemy has very strong air defense. "And their Pantsir air defense missile system works best against our long-range drones. So, from the beginning of 2025 to today, we have destroyed 48% of the enemy’s Pantsyrs, Maliuk said.