Ukrainian drones have knocked out more than a quarter of Belgorod’s gas stations in five days — the worst week yet for the Russian border city’s fuel supply

Ukrainian drones struck at least 19 gas stations in and around Belgorod over five days, from July 19 to 23, according to a count by the news outlet Pepel.

The 19 stations account for 26.7 percent of the 71 gas stations in the city and surrounding area, Pepel’s journalists said. According to data from the benzin-price.ru database, the Belgorod region has 323 gas stations.

Ukrainian forces have attacked gas stations in the Belgorod region at least 24 times since Monday, July 20, according to a count by the independent Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo. Authorities confirmed 21 of those attacks. This week’s total is the highest of the summer, Agentstvo said.

Ukrainian drones have struck stations belonging to Rosneft, Lukoil, Gazprom Neft, Teboil, and the local Smart chain, according to Pepel’s data.

The news outlet Bel.ru said that Belgorod came under attack again on July 23, and that “many gas stations are closed,” though it did not say how many stations were attacked.

Pepel reported that lines began forming at gas stations that stayed open despite the Ukrainian attacks. At least one Smart-chain station changed its hours “due to the current operational situation and to ensure the safety” of its customers, and now operates from 5 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.

In recent weeks, Russia has stepped up strikes on gas stations in the Kharkiv region and other frontline areas. The rise in Ukrainian attacks “looks like a symmetric response to Russian strikes,” military analyst Kirill Mikhailov told Agentstvo.