“In his review of the Russian press on 25 August, BBC Correspondent Steve Rosenberg, reported growing alarm about the situation, with the government reluctant to acknowledge the impact of Ukrainian drone strikes, preferring to refer to ‘unscheduled’ repairs”
@bbcstever.bsky.social’s Russian press reviews are superb - and have made particularly good viewing this last week or so. Ukraine’s refinery strikes are having quite a profound effect.
They are. But I could do without the vox pops from ignorant Russian citizens.
Oh, I haven’t seen those! I watch his YouTube videos, which are just the papers.
“Astonishingly the Biden administration objected to these attacks. In March 2024 it reportedly asked that these be stopped In addition to their customary concerns about escalation, they were also worried that they might trigger an increase in world oil prices” 🇺🇦 was worried about its own survival
“For the rest of the year there was a steep decline in the number of attacks on the oil industry, although they were not wholly abandoned, especially as Russia was not showing any restraint. But concerns about Russian military advances made targets relevant to ongoing battles more of a priority.”
That’s changing …and Ukraine’s attacks on energy infrastructure has been stepping up by the end of last year and into this year See the black sector? Did that hurt Russia? Of course! Why else do you think Russia suggested a truce on attacks on Energy infrastructure? What happened to that?
“On 18 March 2025, at a time when Putin was trying to avoid responding to Trump’s demands for a ceasefire, he proposed a moratorium on attacks on energy facilities. Putin said he would refrain from strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 days”
“Almost immediately his army struck power supplies in front-line Ukrainian cities. After speaking with Trump the next day, Zelensky agreed to a 30-day suspension of strikes on energy infrastructure.”
In July/August 🇺🇦 has been intensifying its attacks & has scored 10 major hits. “The attacks are massive, coordinated, and repeated; they come in waves, and the refineries simply do not have time to repair the damage caused by the previous attack before the next one occurs.’ Analyst, Boris Aronstein
“In June Russia attacked a Ukrainian oil refinery in Kremenchuk, causing serious damage, as well as gas facilities. And that was the end of it”
“This energy truce was welcomed by the White House as a confidence-building measure, though both sides complained regularly that the other was not adhering to its terms. As it had not been properly negotiated it was never wholly clear what was required.”
“Each raid might cost Ukraine as little as $1 million. The cumulative cost to Russia of the attacks this year has now been estimated (by the Ukrainians) to be $10 billion because of the wider economic effects.”
“The Ukrainians gain satisfaction from the Russians coping with the sort of shortages that have become the norm for them.” Right back at you, chum! Take that. With knobs on.
So these Ukrainian attacks are not on the front line but they certainly cause not only “ 🇷🇺 comfort” and considerable financial disruption but also result in logistics problems in Russia’s ability to FEED its front line. And the range of 🇺🇦 armour is increasing.
🇺🇦 General Staff “In particular, the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region, which supplies fuel to the Russian army, was attacked. A massive fire broke out at the facility following the strike. The plant’s capacity reaches over 6 million tons of oil per year.”