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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
You’re being overly optimistic. Ukrainians are already tired of the war effort and as you said many of them aren’t interested in joining the war in the front lines.
Russia advancing faster will only make more people want to stop the massacre, or more people flee abroad.
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!
You’re assuming Ukraine will continue receiving the same level of support it has been receiving so far.
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.