FT: The US intelligence helps Ukraine bypass Russian air defenses

The US intelligence is helping Ukraine lay out drone routes and bypass Russian air defenses during strikes on oil refineries.

This was reported to the Financial Times by unnamed Ukrainian officials.

Since the beginning of 2026, Russian refineries have been hit at least 194 times — 11 times more than during the same period the previous year.

Data from the Russian Ministry of Defense indicates that at least 63 933 drones were allegedly intercepted over Russian territory and occupied Ukrainian territories in the first six months of 2026.

Half of all reported interceptions have occurred in the past two months: Russia reported shooting down 14 195 drones in May and 17,832 in June. For comparison, the monthly figures for January and February did not exceed 6 000, according to the data.

Analysts believe that the Ukrainian drone campaign has become more successful because Ukraine is producing more drones and managing them better.

• Russia is facing an ongoing fuel crisis amid Ukraineʼs attacks on refineries. Since April 1, Russia has banned the export of gasoline, and in early June, the Russian government banned the export of aviation kerosene for the first time.
• In July , Russia began buying gasoline from India, and the country also plans to import jet fuel from Japan due to the crisis following attacks on refineries.

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