Many analysts feared the war in Iran waged by the United States and Israel would have disastrous consequences for Ukraine.

A range of issues resulting from the conflict have in fact hurt Ukraine. But the biggest consequence of the war, both globally and for Ukraine, has been its impact on oil.

Money, and the economy more broadly, are known as the sinews of war. In Russia, oil revenues are the sinews that power the Russian economy and the country’s military more broadly.

The war in the Middle East, as expected, disrupted global oil supplies and caused a significant uptick in the price of oil. The U.S. lifted restrictions on countries like India that buy Russian oil to alleviate pressure on key allies. In many respects, this chain of events has been the perfect storm to advance Russian interests.

Read more: How the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran helps Russia in its war against Ukraine

But even though shifting international attention is to Ukraine’s disadvantage, a key aspect of warfare is that all participants generally play a role in its outcome.

Ukraine, rather than idling, has increased its targeting of Russia’s energy infrastructure during the war in Iran.

Ukrainian officials, in fact, were quite explicit about this approach after Donald Trump once again lifted sanctions on Russian oil, striking Russian oil refineries within hours of the president’s announcement.

The Ukrainian........

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