29 April 2026 By Ko Myo
YANGON, Myanmar — The Myanmar military spent nearly $4 million on aviation fuel in a single month to carry out its ongoing campaign of airstrikes against civilians and resistance forces, according to an investigation by the Blood Money Campaign.
The findings, based on three months of research and data from aviation experts and monitoring channels, reveal that between 16 June and 15 July 2025, the junta consumed over 1.56 million imperial gallons of aviation fuel (1,562,717 gallons).
Despite global fuel price hikes and energy crises sparked by international conflicts, the Myanmar military’s aerial operations showed no sign of deceleration. The expenditure, estimated at $3,860,732 based on pre-Middle East conflict prices, highlights the regime’s prioritisation of military force over the country’s failing economy.
During the recorded one-month period, the military deployed fighter jets 1,349 times, transport and bombers over 950 times, and conducted 224 helicopter sorties.
“Min Aung Hlaing is not afraid to drain the national coffers to maintain his grip on power,” a CDM officer based near the border told MPA. “Even as the world faces fuel shortages, the frequency of airstrikes has remained constant. The only way to stop this is to implement a coordinated international ban on the sale and transfer of aviation fuel to the regime.”
According to the Nyan Lynn Thit Research Group, airstrikes targeting civilian infrastructure actually surged during periods of peak fuel instability in early 2026, suggesting that the military uses its reserves specifically to retaliate against non-combatant populations in resistance strongholds.
The Blood Money Campaign and other activist groups have long urged international governments and energy firms to sever ties with the Myanmar military’s fuel supply chain. While several Western nations have imposed sanctions on aviation fuel suppliers, critics argue that loopholes and regional intermediaries continue to allow the junta to procure the fuel necessary for its aerial campaign.
As the conflict intensifies and the civilian death toll from airstrikes continues to climb, the spotlight remains on the multinational companies that continue to facilitate the logistics of a military that is literally burning through millions of dollars to wage war on its own people.
