From Dagestan to the front lines of Zaporizhia, convoys of simple passenger cars transport fuel for Russian soldiers. Under pressure from Ukrainian drones, Moscow is improvising civilian logistics which betrays a deep supply crisis.
Under pressure from Ukrainian strikes against its logistics, Moscow is now using unmarked automobiles to refuel its units in the occupied territories. A tactical shift dictated by the scale of the logistical difficulties that Russia is now facing.
Jerry cans in the trunks
A video broadcast by the Telegram channel Exilenova +, relayed and verified by the specialized Ukrainian site Militarnyi, documents a revealing fact: a convoy of private cars, leaving from Kiziliourt in Dagestan, is transporting a ton of gasoline in jerrycans placed in their trunks. Destination: Russian soldiers stationed in Tokmak, in the occupied Zaporizhia region, a journey of 1,300 km.
The convoy was organized on the direct instruction of the city’s mayor. The drivers also take 1.5 million rubles in cash, intended to finance an upcoming fuel delivery for the Russian armed forces. The phenomenon is not isolated – similar adaptations had been observed on the Donbass logistics axis from 2023 – but its extension from Russian territory itself marks an additional level.
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Fuel, the nerve of electronic warfare
The issue goes beyond simple supplies. On advanced positions, fuel supplies the generators essential to electronic warfare systems, reconnaissance and attack drones, means of communication and all electronic equipment. Any vulnerability in this supply directly results in a deterioration in the operational capacity of the units in contact.
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Military trucks disguised as garbage dumpsters
The use of civilians is not limited to the transport of fuel. Militarnyi reports the observation, in the north of Crimea, of a military truck “Ural” freshly repainted blue, driven by a man in civilian clothes – but still bearing military license plates. The bodywork, modified to imitate a garbage dumpster, has dimensions considered disproportionate for this type of vehicle. vehicle.
A direct response to Ukrainian drones
These adaptations respond to the intensification of Ukrainian strikes. According to the Krymskyï Veter (Crimean Wind) monitoring project, the Russian command of the “Dnipro” group ordered the massive use of civilian transport on the Rostov-on-Don – occupied Crimea axis. The Ukrainian defense forces have increased drone strikes against tankers on this axis, to the point of restrict the movement of heavy goods vehicles in the occupied part of the Kherson region.
