(KYIV) – Ukraine has entered day 38 of a 40-day pressure campaign designed to force Russia into negotiations, sustaining deep strikes against oil refineries, logistics hubs, and military infrastructure as the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin shows no willingness to halt the war.
Three oil refineries and four radar systems were hit in the latest wave of attacks. A refinery in Volgograd was struck and set ablaze, with smoke rising behind the iconic Motherland Calls monument. The facility has been targeted approximately 14 times since the campaign began. The following night, drones hit the Saratov refinery, with open source intelligence confirming the AVT6 crude distillation unit was damaged. The same operation struck the Ufa refining complex in Bashkortostan, located 1,700 kilometres from Ukraine’s border, for a second consecutive night.
According to a Financial Times damage assessment, 45 percent of Russia’s total refining capacity is now offline. Ukraine’s systematic degradation has eliminated spare export capacity and is causing domestic fuel shortages. Russia has been forced to import petrol from Belarus, Kazakhstan, India, and for the first time, Morocco. A shipment of 30,000 tonnes of AI-92 gasoline arrived from Morocco, equivalent to roughly six hours of Russia’s daily domestic demand of 115,000 to 120,000 tonnes.
Two more Wildberries logistics warehouses were destroyed in Volgograd and Samara. A resident in Volgograd filmed both the distribution centre and the nearby oil refinery burning simultaneously from her apartment roof. The Samara facility was struck by a drone filmed slamming into the structure; the warehouse later burned down completely. Satellite imagery of a previously struck distribution centre shows approximately 85 percent of the roof collapsed and the interior gutted.
Ukraine has now destroyed or damaged 14 Wildberries facilities in under three weeks. The company handles roughly three percent of Russia’s GDP, with turnover exceeding 6 trillion roubles (approximately 63 billion US dollars, £49.7 billion, €57.8 billion). Its debts amount to around 1.3 trillion roubles (13.7 billion dollars, £10.8 billion, €12.6 billion), with hundreds of billions of roubles reportedly owed to the state-controlled VTB Bank. Analysis indicates the dual strategy targets both state revenue through refinery strikes and public morale and the banking system through logistics strikes.
An estimated 60,000 Russians have lost their jobs due to warehouse destruction. Workers at surviving facilities are reportedly quitting in large numbers rather than risk drone strikes, compelling Wildberries to import labourers from North Korea. Russian e-commerce seller fees on military equipment have surged to as much as 60 percent.
Ukrainian forces also sank the Russian-owned container ship Yanina in the Black Sea, a loss Russian authorities confirmed.
In occupied Crimea, the “switch off” operation continued. Magyar’s Birds, the unmanned systems unit, reported striking 177 energy targets since 1 July, exhausting available infrastructure. The campaign is now expanding to occupied territories including Henichesk, Berdiansk, and Mariupol, targeting substations and energy nodes. Mid-range logistics interdiction in occupied territories destroyed 656 fuel and logistics trucks in July, though traffic has diminished as private companies refuse to risk convoys.
Russian military casualties totalled 42,860 in July, the worst monthly figure this year and up from 31,000 in January. Despite the losses, Russian forces continue infiltration tactics with minimal territorial gains. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence announced a 2,200 dollar (£1,740, €2,020) reward for each Russian soldier captured alive to facilitate prisoner exchanges.
Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least ten civilians, with missiles hitting residential buildings while residents slept. Andy Hunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, documented the aftermath, stating: “Russia must be stopped.” A Ukrainian publishing house warehouse was also struck, part of what observers describe as cultural genocide targeting the Ukrainian written word.
In Moscow, the explosion at an upscale restaurant during a general’s birthday celebration killed five and injured 21. The target is believed to have been a senior Aerospace Forces commander. Leaflets directing residents to bomb shelters have appeared across the capital.
Footage of the Volgograd and Samara warehouse strikes was captured by local residents. Drone strike footage on fuel convoys was released by Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. The Crimea energy campaign footage was published by Magyar’s Birds. The Volgograd refinery and warehouse fires were filmed by local residents in Volgograd Oblast.
Be First to Comment