Ukraine war situation update: 2 - 8 August 2025

Spotlight: Russian strikes on a key gas facility raise the alarm about regional energy security

Russian drones and missiles targeted regionally important oil and gas infrastructure in the Odesa region between 2 and 8 August, highlighting the broader energy security implications of Russia’s continuing targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. On 6 August, Russian drones hit the Orlivka gas transportation and compression station on the border with Romania. After explosions were heard and seen from the Romanian side of the border, Romania scrambled its F-16 jets.¹ Additionally, on 8 August, Russian drones attacked an oil depot owned by an Azerbaijani state company, also in the Odesa region. Notably, Azerbaijan is in the midst of a row with Russia over a downed civilian plane and police brutality against ethnic Azeris in Russia.² This makes Russia’s hits on Azerbaijan’s energy assets in Ukraine suspicious.³ 

The Ukrainian government⁴ and energy experts⁵ have voiced concerns about the strikes’ impact on Ukraine’s ability to import natural gas and accumulate reserves ahead of the cold season. Ukraine has been using the Orlivka station to import small batches of natural gas from Azerbaijan after gas storage levels hit a record low on 5 August.⁶ It has also considered the station as an alternative route for future deliveries from the Trans-Balkan route, including those bound for neighboring Moldova. Furthermore, the strikes put the nearby Isaccea-Orlivka-Vulcănești-Chișinău high-voltage line at risk, which is currently under construction to avoid Moldova’s energy dependence on the Russian-controlled Transnistrian region of Moldova.⁷

Despite the moratorium on strikes on energy facilities agreed in mid-March, Russia’s systematic targeting of such infrastructure has not subsided. While there was a significant decrease in the number of strikes targeting energy infrastructure in April — from over 50 in February and March, respectively, to around 30 in April — Russia’s levels of targeting Ukraine have already rebounded and increased to around 60 events in both June and July, respectively. Meanwhile, Ukraine resumed the targeting of Russia’s oil facilities in late June. ACLED records at least six strikes in July that damaged several refineries and led to Russia reintroducing its ban on petrol exports. 

Explore the ACLED Conflict Exposure Calculator to assess the numbers of people affected by armed violence, disaggregated by locations, time period, and actors involved.