Frontline report: 50% of Moscow’s fuel supply at risk after Ukrainian drone strike on its largest oil refinery
Frontline report: 50% of Moscow’s fuel supply at risk after Ukrainian drone strike on its largest oil refinery
337 Ukrainian drones hit Russia, targeting Moscow’s largest oil depot and key infrastructure sites in other regions.
Summary
A massive Ukrainian drone strike targeted Russian oil refineries and infrastructure, including Moscow’s largest refinery, which supplies 50% of the city’s fuel.
The attack also hit the Druzhba pipeline control station, halting Russian oil exports to Hungary. With over 337 drones striking multiple regions, the operation exploited gaps in Russia’s air defenses.
Hungary, heavily reliant on Russian energy, called the pipeline attack a threat to its sovereignty.
Analysts suggest continued strikes could pressure Russia’s economy and energy dominance, potentially influencing ceasefire negotiations.
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They don't have the cards?!?
No, they don’t. Ukraine is about to get kicked out from Kursk and lose the little leverage they had in the negotiations.
Cards are ever-changing, but the main card of both sides is possibly agreeing to stop, if certain conditions are satisfied.
If Ukrainians could have stayed in Kursk, it would have been something to trade back during negotiations. But apparently, Putin didn't like that prospect and made Russian troops concentrate a lot of force in Kursk. This force came at the expense of other fronts. During the time Russia was bombing Russian territory, it spent less energy bombing Ukraine.
I don't think Ukrainians are very cheerful about losing Kursk, but it was meant as a distraction - this direction was weakly defended, they got in easily, stayed for six months, just the coming back out turned ugly.
They only withdrew because US stopped intelligence sharing. Unlike Pootang the Tinyman, President Z wants his soldiers to survive.
That’s right, Ukrainians wanted to use Kursk to trade against something else during the negotiations; soon they might not be able to do that anymore.
Good job russia, they finally achieved something... like 6 months later... and with the ukrainians leaving on their own.. but we have to give them something, right?
Fuck russia
The Ukrainians are leaving on their own? Why are they leaving?
The loss of American support and intelligence sharing, exposed their soldiers to greater risks, so they performed a tactical withdrawal. Had it been ruzzia in that situation, they'd have just let their soldiers die, and sent more in to die also.
American support and intelligence has only been paused for one week and has resumed since.
Did you forget you already said this a minute ago, Yuri? Damn but that anti-freeze vodka sure does hit hard, hey? :)
They got tired of killing koreans probably
Sadly, the situation was considerably more dire.
In Kursk, at the end, Ukrainian troops (about 12 000 men) were supplied using a single good road. Russia brought in enough offensive power (about 70 000 men) to push on that road, and despite heavy losses, reached artillery and drone range. Russia then relocated some of their best droners to the area (both countries have elite drone units with better equipment and experience) and started attacking nearly every supply vehicle that they could. Logistics broke down.
Then Trump pulled the intel and HIMARS strikes ceased for a while.
As a result, the Ukrainian contingent in Kursk received orders to do an orderly retreat. But they received them late. In reality, they had to save themselves using rather ungraceful methods, often abandoning vehicles (bridge was blown up) and moving on foot.
The Kursk offensive helped distract Russia more than a little, but shouldn't have ended that way. I'm fairly certain ISW will write in detail about the Kursk events in their next review of developments, but the lesson as it appears to me: "retreat before your movement routes come under fire".
As for long range strike drones, Ukrainians have some of the best in the world, and they're working hard with them. Also, recently, what appeared to be an Ukrainian cruise missile circumnavigated Crimea and hit an oil depot south of the peninsula. Which means 1000+ km of cruise missile range. Moscow needs only around 700 km.
I know, but I activated the troll protocol with OP
Do you think invading a sovereign country is ok? What are your thoughts on bombing childrens’ hospitals?
No, of course not, but I’m not the one making the rules.
Average Lemmy.ml commentor
Have you been following the news this past week?
Sure. Ukraine is retreating from the Kursk region, with minimal losses. Holding dirt doesn't win wars. Meanwhile they're making huge wins in east (not a ton of dirt, but destroying assets and soldiers), and these strikes into Russia on very strategically important assets.
Thank you for confirming Ukrainian soldiers are getting kicked out from Kursk.
Ukrainians are withdrawing gracefully, probably due to Drumph ceasing all intelligence sharing. Had the ruzzians been in that situation, they'd have just let their soldiers die. Why aren't YOU at the front, comrade?
American support and intelligence has only been paused for one week and has resumed since.
Same question back to you, comrade.
The Ukrainians didn't KNOW it would be only for a week, dumb Yuri ! :)
Why do you resort to insulting me just because you and I have different opinions? That’s very telling of your personality. Do better. Have a good life.
It's not possible to insult a ruzzian orc. Whatever possible derision I can come up with, is still a compliment to a filthy orc, Yuri.
I don't know if you buy this, but Ukraine says it's part of the plan. That sounds like what Russia says. If you don't believe them, why do you believe what Russia says?
I don't believe that withdrawing from Kursk because the Russians are gaining ground day after day is part of some sort of grand plan.
I don't exactly either. You ignored half my comment. Do you believe it when Russia says similar things? If so, why? Ukraine has an image they need to sell, but it's even more important for Russia, so don't believe them either.
Ok so if you don’t believe Ukraine here, what other explanation is there to justify the withdrawal from Kursk.
We don’t have to listen to the Russian narrative, we can just think about why Ukrainians would withdraw.
Man, you really don't like justifying your beliefs. You're always in the offense so you don't have to answer anything about why you supposedly believe what you're saying. You just pivot to some other shit. I can answer all your questions because my beliefs aren't just based on faith like yours seem to be.
Why are they retreating? It's because it was untenable to hold their current positions without large losses, and they'd gain nothing for it. Why wouldn't they retreat. Do I think that was the plan all along? Not really. It has worked to draw forces from the east and allowed Ukraine to push there, to great effect though.
It's not 4D chess. It's just a sound strategy to retreat while you can without taking heavy losses and use that time to inflict heavy losses on your enemy. Russia isn't doing as well in this regard. They're taking dirt without strategic wins. They lose tons of men and assets taking what amounts to nothing. Holding ground does not create a strategic victory unless it creates an opportunity. Most of what Russia takes doesn't. Dirt doesn't do anything for you.
If you'd like to prove you actually have a brain, go to the above comments and answer the questions. Otherwise, you appear to be no better than a bot that can't think for themselves.
The Russia has not been gaining ground after early 2022. During the year 2024 they gained more ground than anybody in the west expected, because USA stopped its weapon deliveries for 6 months in the end of June 2024.
When the Russia gained ground exceptionally fast, it gained 0.7 % of Ukraine's total territory in that one year. Less than a percent. Okay, technically that is indeed gaining ground, but in the big picture of the war that's an irrelevant amount. If the Russia manages to gain 5 % of Ukraine's territory in 12 months, it's okay to say they are gaining ground. But with the speed they are "advancing" now... Heh.
The Russia gaining ground at a speed of 0.7 % of Ukraine's territory and losing 400 000 soldiers as dead and wounded per year in the process is indeed part of some grand plan of Ukraine's. The Russia won't run out of people with that pace for another 250 years or so, but it will run out of soldiers, because it is losing them faster than it's able to recruit new ones.
You see, we agree Ukraine will run out of soldiers soon.
Stop being so obtuse, Yuri :)
Why would it? Finland has a total army strength of quite precisely one million if you count in the reserve.
Ukraine has fielded about that many soldiers altogether, perhaps a little less.
Finland has a population of 5.6 million, Ukraine has a population of 40 million. Per capita they have about one seventh of the amount of soldiers compared to Finland. Meaning, they should be, by all logic, able to find another seven times as many soldiers as they have found now. It's weird that the do not!
While Ukrainians' will to go to front is far greater than that of Germans' or the French, the size of Ukraine's army tells of a big problem with motivation. It is super weird, but even under the current circumstances, most Ukrainians don't bother joining to help protect their country. (And because they don't, the current soldiers almost never get relieved for holidays, and that's a reason why people don't want to join the army...)
That is a self-correcting problem. If it happens that Ukraine runs out of soldiers so badly that the Russia will start advancing at a speed of five percent of Ukraine's total territory per year instead of the current 0.7 %, then Ukrainians will get scared and more people will be motivated to move their butts. And then there are enough soldiers again.
The Russia does not have such a self-correcting mechanism with its army size. Actually the opposite: While Ukraine doing badly will motivate more Ukrainians to come for help, the Russia doing badly means their economy is doing badly, and therefore their ability to pay good salaries for their soldiers will be doing badly. Their soldiers are in it for the money. No money --> extremely difficult to find enough Russian soldiers.
Perhaps you may want to diversify on those that are feeding propaganda to you ;)
Sure, do you have a source from this past week claiming Ukraine is not losing ground in Kursk?
I don't think he can have. He knows Ukraine has been losing ground in Kursk. But he also understands that this is not really relevant at this point. The Russia has not been advancing in any noticeable manner since early 2022. (Okay, in 2024 they did gain 0.7 % percent of Ukraine's total territory in just one year, but I would not call gaining under one percent of a country's territory advancing, really)
It would be useful for Ukraine to remain in the Kursk area, but what can you do when all your warehouses' and military bases' locations in the area are suddenly known by your enemy? It's a huge task building new ones in different places, and one cannot do so in just a couple of days.
Russia has been gaining ground steadily.
Ukraine is about to be kicked out of Kursk.
I have no satisfaction nor happiness while wearing this, it is just the unfortunate truth.
And the Russia will remain gaining ground at the same steady speed of 0.7 percent per year. In just 7 years, by 2032, they will already have conquered another one twentieth of Ukraine! Ura!
If the Russia keeps its ground gaining steady and does not increase its speed tenfold, then that means the Russia is doing seriously badly. Losing 400 000 soldiers in a year (as dead and wounded, not only dead!) and not managing to unsteady that rate of advance means things are seriously going badly!
Ruzzian wounded may as well be dead. Ruzzia is now fielding battalions of wounded soldiers, going back into battle on crutches, no less. Ruzzians have been told to execute their wounded. Their economy can't support so many wounded, they need the money to refurbish more old tanks.
You’re assuming Ukraine will continue receiving the same level of support it has been receiving so far.
It will not necessarily continue receiving the same level of support. But it will receive support from all EU countries neighbouring the Russia, because that is a lot cheaper than what happens if the Russia gets a result that Putin can advertise as a Russian victory. Because then we are next.
These countries will not end their support anyway. With only our help, the Russia will increase its territorial gains to possibly almost two percent of Ukraine's total territory per year, but those gains will still be far from enough for the Russia to win before its economy goes down. The war will last longer that way, and more Ukrainians will die, but of course Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden don't want to have a war in their own countries. And the Danes are just awesome for reasons I cannot completely understand. We are only a fraction of the size of the whole EU, but we are not in a position to stop supporting Ukraine, and we are enough to slow the Russia enough to keep from winning.
🚨🚨**TANKIE ALERT!!**🚨🚨
What part of the US did the Taliban conquer to exchange it for the US to leave the country?
This is not at comparable with the US invasion of Afghanistan.
How about the soviet ruzzian invasion of Afghanistan, before that? You ruzzians sure are great at losing. Maybe that's why Drumph loves Pootang the Tiny so much :) You should stick to things you're good at, like consuming anti-freeze vodka and wife beating, hey?
That’s not comparable either.
As for the rest, your comment is useless and classless, I’m not Russian.
Sure thing, Yuri :)
...because the aggressor has the outdated equipment?
Because many people in Crimea and in the eastern regions actually want to be under Russian influence.
That would be the Russians sent there to cause trouble as "separatists" right?
Or just people who have been living there.
I hear ruzzian colonists have been fleeing back to mainland ruzzia from Crimea, Yuri. That doesn't seem good for ruzzia's future in that area :)
And there are ways for them to get that. For instance, about 200,000 Afghans resided or immigrated to America between 2000 and 2021. What was stopping those in Crimea from doing the same? And we haven't even addressed if that "many" is actually a majority.
A lot of Crimeans DID do the same. Why do you assume they didn't?
I don't, but it does seem a better option than war.
That's obvious, but there's not much the Crimeans could do to influence Putin. How would they have done that?
Is this supposed to be a serious question? If Putin genuinely wanted to help them and not himself, they wouldn't have to offer anything other than their loyalty and he could have given them a place in his vast country. But there is little evidence he cares about the welfare of his subjects and that wouldn't have given him an excuse to attack his neighbor.
The opposite is happening, people who want to remain under Ukrainian influence are moving to the regions still under Ukrainian control.
What I heard was, "The people who don't want to be under Russian influence or live under wartime conditions are moving to the regions that aren't engaged in military occupation."
Is that because of the ruzzians so kindly setting up a removalist service, with all the trimmings, Yuri? That's a /s by the way. The fact is ruzzians are stealing any children they can get their foul grubby paws on. Any males are being forcibly conscripted to fight against their own people. Lord knows what those vile animals do with the women.... Ruzzians are orcs in vaguely human shape. Their supporters are even worse.
Anybody in Crimea knows that if you say Crimea is Ukraine, you will quite soon get beaten up seriously badly. A person cannot know whether you will rat him out or not, so It does not matter what he thinks – he will absolutely say that he supports the Russia. Practically everybody in Crimea will say that they do, no matter what they think.