STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
This is a deeply interesting segment of the program, getting updated on national security here...
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Yeah.
INSKEEP: ...Because we next hear about Ukrainian drone strikes. Ukrainian drones are inflicting significant damage on oil refineries deep inside Russia, and the Trump administration has been hinting that it may be willing to help. NPR's Greg Myre is covering this. Greg, good morning
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: OK. So first, how is Ukraine able to carry out these longer and longer-range attacks?
MYRE: Well, Ukraine's drones now reach hundreds of miles inside Russia. And the main target has been oil refineries, which they strike at night, mostly in southern and western Russia. These set off huge fireballs in the night sky. You see the evidence all over social media, though the Russians aren't saying much about them. In some cases, it appears the refineries are knocked offline, but hard to tell how quickly they're being repaired. Ukraine has carried out about 25 such strikes in August and September against some of the country's largest refineries, which produce gasoline used by civilians and diesel used by the military.
INSKEEP: Twenty-five strikes. I'd heard about a few of these, but I appreciate you pulling it all together. Now, let me ask what the United States' attitude is toward this. I know the president in recent days has changed his tone toward Ukraine. He seems much more positive. But is the U.S. changing the aid it provides?
MYRE: Well, not so far, but there are a couple possibilities here. First, the Trump administration says it's considering Ukraine's request for Tomahawk missiles. Now, these are powerful, accurate and travel much further than any other weapons the U.S. has provided. We should stress - no decision has been made, and there are questions about whether the U.S. has sufficient stockpiles. Second, The Wall Street Journal has reported that Trump has agreed to increase intelligence sharing with Ukraine to focus on Russian energy sites. The CIA and others are not commenting. Now, here in Washington, Andrew Weiss at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says Trump can't just threaten Russia. He really would need to take action.
ANDREW WEISS: The Russian position on Ukraine has not budged 1 inch, and Donald Trump is obviously very frustrated about that. But simply putting on Twitter that you're possibly going to help Ukraine in various ways is not the same as actually helping Ukraine.
MYRE: And now in Russia, President Vladimir Putin says that if Ukraine does get Tomahawks, that could lead to a, quote, "whole new level of escalation."
INSKEEP: Greg, I would have imagined that Russia, having had generations to prepare for attack, thinking about potential American attack, as a matter of fact, would be ready with strong air defenses. Why are they having so much trouble defending against these drones and possibly other things?
MYRE: Well, Russia's the largest country in the world. And that means massive resources - oil, gas, and minerals - but it also means it's very hard to defend everywhere. And these Russian refineries were out of range previously or weren't being targeted and didn't need to be defended. Now suddenly, they're vulnerable, with relatively little protection. So Russian civilians are facing higher gas prices. We're seeing long lines in a number of places at gas stations in regions throughout Russia.
INSKEEP: Wow. So it's affecting civilians. Is it affecting the Russian military?
MYRE: At this point, no. Russia produces a huge amount of diesel, more than enough for the military. Again, here's Andrew Weiss.
WEISS: The Russian military runs on diesel. Russia produces twice as much diesel annually as it needs and exports the rest.
MYRE: So Russia has a cushion when it comes to diesel for the military, but we are seeing strains on Russia's economy overall. Economic growth this year is expected to be just 1%.
INSKEEP: NPR's Greg Myre, thanks so much.
MYRE: Sure thing, Steve.
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