1 aircraft
Posted on 02/24/2024 5:59:01 AM PST by SpeedyInTexas
More oil and gas infrastructure hit.
Kyiv Independent (24 Sep):
“Ukraine carried out strikes on multiple targets in Russia linked to oil refining and drone production, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed on Sept. 24.
The confirmation follows a reported overnight attack on the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat petrochemical plant in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan.
The General Staff said the strike hit the oil refining facility in the Republic of Bashkortostan, specifically the ELOU-AVT-6 primary oil refining unit. Preliminary reports indicate the attack caused a fire at the site.
The Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat facility is one of Russia’s largest oil refining and petrochemical plants, producing 150 different types of products, including gasoline and diesel fuel. It is located some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.
The targeted facility processes up to 10 million tons of oil annually and is a key producer of liquid rocket fuel for Russia, according to the General Staff.
In addition to the strike on the oil refinery in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Ukrainian forces also targeted key infrastructure sites involved in the country’s energy and defense sectors.
The Kuzmichi-1 oil pumping station, part of the crude oil transport network supplying Russia’s southern regions, was among the facilities hit. Another strike targeted the Zenzevatka pumping station, which services the Kuybyshev-Tikhoretsk main oil pipeline.
Ukrainian forces struck a drone production facility in the village of Valuyki in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast as well. While the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, a fire reportedly broke out at the site following the attack.
Ukraine’s General Staff also confirmed that a long-range strike on Sept. 22 targeted the Astrakhan gas processing plant in southern Russia, forcing a partial shutdown of operations.”
The facility, located in Russia’s Astrakhan Oblast, is one of the world’s largest gas chemical complexes and the country’s primary producer of sulfur used in explosives, accounting for up to 66% of national output. The plant processes up to 3.2 million tons of oil products annually, according to the General Staff.”
Well, we were told several years ago that the Russians were in the mopping up stage.
Mopping up oil refineries for the moment
Thanks glee’ for the kind remarks!
I checked out comment #20240, labeled the Russian refinery “Bingo Card” which lists most of the major Russian refineries. It appears there are 3 refineries in Bashkortostan with a combined production of 24+ million tons. The first one listed for that location is rated at 9.5 million tons, and was previously struck on 3/3/25. The other 2 were struck on Sept. 13, 2025.
Two other refineries within striking distance not yet struck are at Yaroslavl and Perm with a combined capacity of 28.8 million tons. I wonder if failure to hit the TAIF-NK refinery (8.3 mil. tons) in Tatarstan might be influenced by historic interactions between Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars. Another possibility is that Tatarstan’s struggles to maintain some independence from the Putin state of Russia receives some sympathy due to Ukraine’s similar struggles.
The Kremlin is using nuclear threats to influence US President Donald Trump to stop his efforts to secure peace in Ukraine. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev used his English-language X (formerly Twitter) account on September 23 to reiterate Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent announcement that Russia is prepared to continue to adhere to the nuclear arms limitations in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) for one year after it expires on February 5, 2026.[1] Medvedev stated that the Trump administration must now decide whether it will follow suit. Medvedev claimed that US adherence to the letter of the treaty “is not enough,” however, and that the United States “must give up on weakening Russia with sanctions and tariffs” or else “the risk of direct conflict remains high.” Medvedev’s veiled nuclear threats directly tie US agreement to stop all its economic measures targeting Russia—the main tool that the Trump administration is using to try to bring Putin to the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine—to Russia's continued adherence to New START or readiness to agree to any future arms control treaties. Medvedev’s threats are part of wider Kremlin efforts to delay peace negotiations, use threats to secure Russia's desired demands in Ukraine, secure concessions that benefit Russia, and deter the United States from supporting Ukraine.
Russia launched a multipronged informational campaign intended to mask Russia's economic weakness that US President Donald Trump recently correctly identified.> Kremlin officials responded on September 24 directly and indirectly to Trump's September 23 statement outlining Russia's military shortcomings and economic turmoil.[2] Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded to Trump's statement about how Russia's poor economic situation makes Russia look like a “paper tiger,” claiming that Russia is “more closely associated with a bear” and that “there are no paper bears.”[3] Peskov also explicitly rejected Trump's assertion that Ukraine could retake territory with assistance from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU).[4] Peskov claimed that Ukraine's military position is significantly worse than in Spring 2022 and that US efforts to “encourage” Ukraine to continue military operations are “misguided.”[5] The Kremlin aims to convince Trump and the West that continuing to support Ukraine and oppose Russia is not viable and that the United States should instead allow Russia to continue its war unimpeded.
The Kremlin launched three distinct narratives in response to Trump's September 23 statement: statements about the Kremlin's continued commitment to its original war aims; claims that a Russian victory in Ukraine is inevitable; and claims that the United States should focus on bilateral US-Russian economic relations. Peskov claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to the settlement process to end the war in Ukraine and that Trump “cannot help but see Putin's openness to this process.”[6] Peskov claimed that the “war is not aimless” but is meant to ensure Russia's security and Russian interests and to eliminate the war's “root causes.”[7] The Kremlin has repeatedly defined the alleged root causes as NATO's eastward expansion and Ukraine's alleged discrimination against Russian speakers. The Kremlin often uses claims about the root causes to call for Ukraine and the West to give in to Russia's original war aims.[8] Peskov also provided excuses for Putin's disinterest in participating in a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that a meeting without significant preparation would be a “public relations stunt doomed to fail.”[9] Putin remains uninterested in good faith negotiations that require compromises and is instead making the same demands of Ukraine and the West as he did in late 2021 and February 2022.[10]
Peskov claimed that there is an influx of volunteers joining the Russian military, allowing the Russian military command to fully staff all its units, and that the Russian economy is fully meeting the Russian military's needs.[11] Peskov claimed that Ukraine must “not forget” that its position only worsens with every day that Ukraine refuses to negotiate and that the situation on the frontline is evidence of Ukraine's deteriorating situation.[12] Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev claimed that Trump's September 23 statements show that Trump is living in an “alternate reality.”[13] Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO and key Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev claimed that Russia's economy is outperforming those of the EU, the United Kingdom, and the United States.[14] The Kremlin is attempting to frame Russian battlefield victory as inevitable to push Ukraine and the West to capitulate and agree to all of the Kremlin's demands out of fear that Russia has the capacity to sustain and even worsen its aggression.
Peskov claimed that there are a “huge number” of mutually beneficial areas for cooperation between American and Russian businesses and that the Trump administration is “generally business oriented.”[15] Peskov claimed that the Trump administration “cannot help but understand” the benefits of US-Russian trade and economic cooperation and that Russia remains open to the resumption of trade. Peskov stated that US-Russia relations are proceeding much more slowly than Russia would like.[16] The Kremlin has for months been trying to use economic carrots to influence the Trump administration into normalizing US-Russian bilateral relations without concluding the war in Ukraine.[17] ISW continues to assess that the Kremlin is dangling the prospect of business incentives unrelated to the war to extract concessions from the United States about the war.[18]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his commitment to engaging in peace negotiations and holding elections in accordance with the Ukrainian Constitution and Ukrainian law. Zelensky stated on September 24 in an interview with Fox News that Ukraine is ready to end the war as soon as possible.[19] Zelensky also reiterated that he is ready to hold elections once a ceasefire is in place and Ukraine has received security guarantees. The Ukrainian Constitution and Ukrainian law explicitly prohibit the government from holding elections during times of martial law, which Ukrainian authorities cannot lift during times of external aggression, such as Russia's full-scale invasion.[20]
Former Ukrainian Command-in-Chief and current Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom General Valerii Zaluzhnyi assessed on September 24 that Russian forces are adapting technological innovations and ground tactics in an attempt to restore maneuver to the battlefield. Zaluzhnyi stated that Russian and Ukrainian forces are engaged in positional warfare, even as Russian forces continue to make what Zaluzhnyi characterized as “grinding” advances.[21] Zaluzhnyi assessed that Russian drone strikes and innovations have forced Ukrainian forces to disperse their defenses on the frontline, with scattered small infantry groups that must act autonomously. Zaluzhnyi stated that this dispersion is blurring the frontline and that the “kill zone” (an area immediately near the frontline where a mass of tactical strike and reconnaissance drones pose an elevated risk to any equipment or personnel that enters the area) extends 20 kilometers from the frontline. Zaluzhnyi stated that the dominance of drones is dispersing the battlefield by preventing both sides from concentrating in their near rear and rear areas. Zaluzhnyi noted that Russian forces have developed infiltration tactics to take advantage of the resulting gaps in Ukrainian defenses, most notably near Dobropillya and Kupyansk. Zaluzhnyi also assessed that drones with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities present a new threat on the battlefield.
ISW recently assessed that Russian forces are integrating drone tactics and adaptations to achieve some effects of battlefield air interdiction (BAI).[22] ISW assesses that Russian forces are actively targeting Ukrainian training grounds in the near rear with precise missile strikes enabled by improved reconnaissance and are developing drones that are more resistant to Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) interference and capable of operating at longer distances, higher speeds, and in challenging environments.[23] The Ukrainian Ground Forces reported on September 24 that Russian forces struck a training ground with Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, in line with Zaluzhnyi's and ISW’s assessment that Russia's technological innovations are preventing Ukrainian forces from being able to safely concentrate in the rear.[24] Russia is continuing to adapt its drones to be resistant to Ukrainian EW. Ukrainian electronic and radio warfare expert Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov reported on September 24 that some Russian drones do not have any communication channels and are able to navigate and strike targets autonomously.[25] Beskrestnov noted that Ukrainian forces cannot suppress such drones because these drones do not rely on radio frequencies.
Russian jamming originating from Kaliningrad Oblast likely disrupted the GPS on Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles’ plane flying to Lithuania on September 24. Spanish news outlet El Mundo reported on September 24 that a plane carrying Robles experienced GPS disruptions while flying in the airspace near Kaliningrad Oblast.[26i] El Mundo reported that the plane was flying to Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania and that the pilot was still able to receive military satellite signals during the flight despite the GPS disruptions. An anonymous defense source told Reuters that they did not think that the disruption was targeted and that such disruptions are common on the route.[27] El Mundo reported that a Spanish commander on board similarly downplayed the disruption as a common occurrence. Robles stated that it is essential to defend the right to freely move throughout European territory without experiencing such disruptions.[28] Russia has likely previously jammed the satellite signal of other planes carrying high-ranking European officials, including a jet transporting then-UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps in March 2024 and a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on September 1.[29]
Russia is likely using Kaliningrad Oblast for jamming operations due to its proximity to European states. A pro-Ukrainian investigative outlet previously found that Russia was constructing a Circularly Disposed Antenna Array (CDAA), a military grade antenna array designed for radio intelligence or communication, just south of Chernyakhovsk, Kaliningrad Oblast.[30] The CDAA may allow Russia to monitor NATO communications in Eastern Europe and the Baltic Sea, communicate with submarines operating in the Baltic Sea or northern Atlantic Ocean, and support passive intelligence gathering.
Ukrainian forces recently conducted a series of aerial and naval drone strikes against Russia and occupied Crimea, including against Russian oil infrastructure and drone production facilities. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces struck the Gazprom Neftekhim-Salavat petrochemical plant in Salavat, Republic of Bashkortostan on the night of September 23 to 24, hitting the primary oil processing unit and starting a fire.[31] The enterprise reportedly processes up to 10 million tons of oil per year and is a key producer of liquid rocket fuel in Russia. The Ukrainian General Staff also reported that Ukrainian forces struck two oil pumping stations in Volgograd Oblast: Kuzmychi-1 oil pumping station, which transports crude oil to southern Russia, and Zenzevatka oil pumping station, which transports oil through the Kuibyshev-Tikhoretsk main oil pipeline that Russia uses for oil exports through the port of Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai.
Geolocated footage published on September 24 shows a likely Ukrainian naval drone exploding at the port of Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai (southeast of Novorossiysk).[32] Additional geolocated footage published on September 24 shows a smoke plume in central Novorossiysk.[33] Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev claimed that Ukrainian drones hit central Novorossiysk on the afternoon of September 24.[34] The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) confirmed on September 24 that a Ukrainian drone strike damaged a CPC office in central Novorossiysk, temporarily suspending operations.[35] Bloomberg reported on September 24, citing an unnamed source, that the Sheskharis oil port facility in Novorossiysk also stopped operations.[36] Bloomberg noted that Sheskharis and CPC together export over two million barrels a day of Russian and Kazakh oil to global markets. The Kazakhstan Energy Ministry reported that oil shipments and transportation through Novorossiysk are proceeding as usual.[37]
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) reported that USF elements conducted a drone strike against drone production facilities near the railway station in Valuyki, Belgorod Oblast on the evening of September 23, causing a large fire.[38] NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) data shows heat anomalies at Valuyki.[39] A Russian source also claimed that there was an explosion near Belbek and Kacha air bases in occupied Crimea on the morning of September 24, likely due to a Ukrainian drone strike.[40] Sevastopol occupation governor Mikhail Razvozhaev claimed on September 24 that Russian air defenses and elements of the Black Sea Fleet shot down 16 Ukrainian drones targeting occupied Sevastopol.[41]
Putin was asked to stop using the word “special military operation”
Dmitry Peskov said: “Now there is a war going on, and we need to win it.” It turned out that this wording was not accidental. “We have a full-fledged war going on. It is likely to be long. Hostilities have gone beyond Ukraine and the zone of the NWO, are being conducted on the territory of Russia and, quite possibly, will hook several more countries. The words “special military operation” simply do not reflect this whole difficult situation. Therefore, we suggested that Vladimir Vladimirovich abandon the word “special military operation”. And call what is happening a war. Because many people in Russia do not understand how serious everything is. And for some reason, they think that this war does not concern them. This is not true,” our source in the Kremlin explained.
According to him, Peskov’s statement is a test of how the fact that the NWO began to be called a war will be perceived. Another source in the Kremlin believes that the president will not abandon the use of the term “SVO”. But it is possible that the word “war” will be heard more often, “so that everyone understands how serious the situation is.” At the same time, none of our acquaintances in power has yet received any official orders about a new name for the NWO.
Next year, Russia may introduce from two to five new taxes and cards not only for food, our source in the Kremlin said.
“The increase in VAT is very important. But the funds received from it may not be enough to solve all the problems. Therefore, we are considering the possibility of introducing new taxes next year. There will be few of them in total, from two to a maximum of five,” the channel's interlocutor said.
He clarified that a tax on childlessness, which we have written about many times, as well as several more taxes, in particular, a tax on the special military operation and a “tax against sanctions” - may be introduced to protect our economy from Western restrictions. And he stressed that there will definitely be new taxes, but it is too early to say what exactly. The decision will be made early next year.
The Kremlin also condemned those who criticize the VAT increase. “Yes, our prices will rise. But this can only bring serious problems to certain vulnerable categories of Russians who will not have enough money for certain goods. For them, we may well introduce ration cards - not only for food (we said that this issue is now being seriously discussed - ed.), but also for clothes, shoes and other basic needs. The rest of the citizens, I think, should not suffer, but rejoice that they will invest their taxes in the greatness and Victory of Russia,” the source added.
https://t.me/kremlin_secrets/6217
A booming economy !
when the Putin realizes that there is no way he can win the war and has to pull out his troops.
—
Very doubtful, as he’s getting prepared to fight for another 16 years [ war with NATO ] or to the Last Russian. Pulling out is a death sentence for him.
Taxing their way to prosperity and victory 😂
Imagine KGB krill has a special prayer and golden calf to consecrate these taxes😎
Agreed, pitin was a bored old rich dictator with grievances unresolved. As he wrote and spoke about often, the fall of the Soviet Union and its breakup ate at his cold black heart.
Not without some justification he thought that this was the time to strike before Ukraine joined the EU or possibly NATO.
His dreams of a greater Russia were threatened, so he acted.
Now after 3 1/2+ years(closing in on the time it took for the Soviet Union to take Berlin), anything but “victory” means a date with a window.
Russians historically can tolerate a lot, but failure is not one of them
Kaliningrad is a justified target.
NATO will do nothing, but Ukrainian special services might just have an answer🤔
According to Russian media, one in every 50 gas stations has stopped selling gasoline.
The worst situation is observed in temporarily occupied Crimea, where almost half of the gas stations are out of service. At those that remain open, drivers can only fill up with diesel fuel.
https://x.com/Heroiam_Slava/status/1971198147939512611
Today at 4 am in the Zaporizhzhia direction, an Su-34 was shot down during an attempt to drop a bomb.
https://x.com/Heroiam_Slava/status/1971110851328508339
Tokayev also once again supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Kazakhstan, by the way, is one of Russia's main allies, and Russia has also declared its intention to invade Kazakhstan.
https://x.com/DevanaUkraine/status/1970549909087457381
1 s video
Kremlin snuffbox/Кремлевская табакерка, Sept 24 2025
The enemy shot down 2 of our Su-34s.
According to Defense Ministry sources, the aircraft were shot down while carrying out combat missions and striking enemy positions in the Zaporizhzhia region. The crews of both Su-34s were unfortunately killed.
The loss of one aircraft was confirmed by colleagues [ https://t.me/bomber_fighter/22592 ]. Unfortunately, according to updated and repeatedly verified data, 2 Su-27s were shot down.
“It’s possible the enemy has acquired new air defense capabilities. We’ll be checking this information. Blessed be the memory of those killed. May you fly forever, brothers!” our source in the Aerospace Forces briefly commented on the situation.
We hope the investigations will be swift and that such serious losses will not be allowed to happen again.
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
Veterans of the SVO reap a well-deserved reward.
Kremlin snuffbox/Кремлевская табакерка, Sept 25 2025
They plan to send 25,000 to 40,000 veterans of the Soviet Military District to work in Siberia.
This was stated by political scientist and economist Sergei Karaganov, who had previously proposed sending SVO participants to develop Siberia.
“Sergey Alexandrovich recently announced that there’s a plan to send 25,000 to 40,000 of our veterans to Siberia after the large-scale demobilization, which will begin sooner or later. They will all receive honorable, important, and well-paid work, often physically demanding, but they’ll definitely cope. If everything works out, other veterans could go to Siberia as well, even more than 100,000,” a source close to Karaganov told us.
At the same time, most of the active military personnel we spoke with remain dissatisfied with the plans to send them to Siberia after the Second World War, despite government statements about the importance of such plans.
https://t.me/s/kremlin_secrets
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