Russian warplanes use poor quality imported fuel.
Vladimir Putin’s military planes are blowing up because of the substandard imported fuel they are forced to use after successful Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries.
Ukrainian intelligence announced on Friday that a Russian SU-57 fighter jet had crashed due to engine problems at the Akhtubinsk airfield in the Astrakhan region. Ukraine said the plane likely malfunctioned because it used the wrong type of jet fuel.
“One of the reasons engines of this type can explode or suffer catastrophic failure is poor fuel quality,” the statement said.
Ukraine has spent months hitting Russian oil refineries with drone strikes.
This malfunction is embarrassing for the Kremlin, since the SU-57, Russia’s most advanced fighter jet, costs around $140 million.
Ukrainian intelligence added that the same type of fuel is used to power other Russian fighter jets and airborne weapons critical to their campaign in Ukraine, including the Geran 4 and 5 jet drones.
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The agency pointed out that Russia is forced to use fuel imported from countries such as India, Egypt and South Korea, following the success of Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russian refineries.
According to figures from the International Energy Agency, Ukraine has launched more than 300 attacks on Russian refineries this year, successfully striking more than two dozen people. Late October and early November saw a new wave of attacks. Over the weekend, Ukraine struck Russia’s Kstovo refinery in Nizhny Novgorod, setting it on fire, as well as a refinery in the Samara region.
Ukraine says it has destroyed half of Russia’s refining capacity this year, causing a frontline shortage of Russian fuel in Ukraine. Russia is the world’s third largest oil producer, but in August its imports reached record levels due to Ukrainian attacks. In response, Russia banned aviation fuel exports.
It is one of several setbacks Putin is facing during his campaign in Ukraine, as spikes in domestic inflation and long lines of motorists have been pictured outside gas stations due to the fuel crisis.
The bombing campaign in Ukraine has angered Trump, who has sought to blame Ukraine for rising U.S. gas prices, which are actually caused by its war with Iran.
He tried to pressure Ukraine to stop the strikes, but Ukraine resisted that pressure and launched new attacks in recent weeks.
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