Posted on 10/21/2026 6:31:27 AM PDT by UMCRevMom@aol.com
COMMENTARY ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY WSJ
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has labeled his military's strikes on Russia's oil infrastructure “the most effective sanctions.” Meanwhile, reports indicate that alongside urging Europe and India to halt purchases of Russian oil, Washington plans to share additional intelligence with Ukraine on Russian refineries, pipelines, and other energy infrastructure.
Most discussions about these “sanctions” have focused on their financial implications for Russia. Vladimir Putin relies heavily on corruption and patronage, with oil and gas serving as key revenue streams. Disrupting the flow could force Putin to choose between sustaining the war and maintaining the payouts to oligarchs and citizens that secure his political backing—though such an economic squeeze would take some time.…
Still, oil shortages alone can grind the Russian bear to a halt militarily.
Russia is rich in natural resources and holds a significant manpower advantage over Ukraine, but it is also vast. To use either its resources or its manpower in the war, Moscow needs ready-to-use petroleum products. (Excerpt)
(Excerpt) Read more at rand.org ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
*engineer at RAND who focuses on defense industrial bases and acquisition of naval, air, unmanned, and air-defense systems.
CONCLUSION by Michael Bohnert:
“The consequences for Russia will grow, and Putin could be forced to choose: war-materials production or the commerce demands of Russia’s oligarchs. Without reliable resupplies, the Russian military will become less mobile and create opportunities for incremental Ukrainian victories. The Russian bear is slowly being starved.”
Dream On.
Ukraine has lost this war, and it will be partitioned with the base work of USA, CHina and Russia.
The NWO Eurosocialists and Imperial NATO have lost. They baited the bear and now must “bear” the consequences.
Hit the orchestra where it hurts the most!
People of Ukraine know that, but Zelenski will keep the war going until the last Uke soldier is killed. If he stops the war, he is instantly out of power. The postponed elections will occur and Zelenski could face investigations on how he amassed so much wealth.
Zelensky is desperate to cling to power — for some reason.
Bombing world oil supplies makes him look like Jimmy Cagney at the end of White Heat.
EXCERPT from “Ukraine’s Drone-Inflicted ‘Oil Sanctions’ Will Impact More Than Russia’s War Finances”
Oct 10, 2025
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2025/10/ukraines-drone-inflicted-oil-sanctions-will-impact.html
“To use either its resources or its manpower in the war, MOSCOW NEEDS ready-to-use petroleum products.
After World War II, the United States commissioned a series of studies to evaluate the effectiveness of various war strategies employed by the Allies. One of the most comprehensive was the U.S. Strategic Bombing Surveys. These examined all phases of strategic bombing in the European and Pacific theaters. Though the report highlighted bombing failures, it also highlighted the value of strikes on oil, logistics, and power infrastructure.
Attacking oil infrastructure was decisive in both Europe and the Pacific. Blockades and strategic bombing of German oil refineries left the Wehrmacht with fuel shortages by 1945 and without key inputs to build munitions. Similarly, in the Pacific, interdiction by submarines and aerial mining of trade routes effectively depleted Japan’s fuel reserves by the war’s end. Further attacks on rail, road, and sea logistics prevented Germany and Japan from resupplying their forces and sustaining industry.
Bombing electricity generation, transmission, and fuel was a distant third in tangible effects on Germany and Japan’s war efforts. A detailed reading of the bombing surveys indicates that attacks on oil and logistics alone were sufficient to end World War II.”
Russkie bots have been predicting the imminent demise of Ukraine for over four years. They haven’t been right yet.
“oil shortages alone can grind the Russian bear to a halt militarily”
from another post:
“Russian expenditure of artillery, mortar, tank and rocket rounds is between ten to fifteen thousand rounds per day.”
How many trucks are required to carry it from the railheads?
How far would they have to travel each day?
Let’s say 500 trucks (30 rounds per truck) and 200 miles.
That’s 100,000 truck miles or about 20,000 gallons of fuel per day.
That’s 500 barrels per day, or 1/20,000th of pre-war Russian crude oil output.
“the Russian military will become less mobile”
The Russian army, if it moves forward, usually does so by infiltration on knees.
History teaches that the serfs and nobility will long tolerate thee Czar
I will bet $20 donation to FR, that Z will be out of power before Putin. Are you on?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.