FT: US and France gave Ukraine intelligence to bypass Russian air defenses in strikes on oil refineries

The United States and France have given Ukraine intelligence that helped Kyiv map out Russian air defense positions, allowing drones to slip past them during strikes on oil refineries, the Financial Times reported, citing Ukrainian officials.The same intelligence also helped Ukraine’s military refine its target selection, the FT’s sources said, helping commanders understand exactly “where to hit.”Ukrainian military planners, drone operators, and energy specialists said the strikes are no longer aimed simply at setting refineries on fire or destroying storage tanks — the goal now is to keep each facility offline for as long as possible.Before each mission, engineers and industry specialists brief drone operators on which components are critical to a refinery’s operations, they said. The Ukrainian military has also begun hitting that same equipment again before repairs can be finished, according to drone operators themselves and satellite imagery reviewed by the FT.In early July, as Ukraine stepped up strikes on Russian oil refineries — including ones far from the front line — the Financial Times reported, citing senior Ukrainian officials, that American intelligence assistance “played a role” in the attacks, helping Kyiv plot drone routes and evade air defense systems.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.