(SAMARA, RUSSIA) – Ukrainian drone and missile strikes have destroyed chemical plants, oil refineries, and military infrastructure across multiple Russian regions, with a Flamingo missile striking a chemical facility in the Volgograd oblast and drones setting an Ozon warehouse ablaze in Saratov.
The Ozon warehouse in Saratov was struck after an 11 day pause in attacks on the facility. Satellite imagery showed approximately 90 percent of the roof had caved in and the interior was completely burned out, representing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
The facility, which opened two years ago, was an 8 billion rouble investment (approximately $88 million or £69 million) intended to create 1,500 jobs. It was the 13th largest Ozon facility, with four now completely destroyed and two others attacked. An estimated 10,000 Ozon employees have lost their jobs, and the company’s share price dropped 6.8 per cent over the past week.
In the Saratov region, Ukrainian forces also struck an oil refinery, with imagery showing a distillation tower on fire. The Saratov refinery, located 590 kilometres from Ukraine’s border, has been struck previously on 2nd August, 8th July, 31st May, 21st March, and twice in December last year.
Ukrainian drones also targeted the Slavyansk na Kubani oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, successfully striking the fuel tank area. Satellite imagery showed several tanks on fire with smoke damage to additional ones. The refinery, located 350 kilometres from Ukraine’s border, was previously struck on 28th June and 26th January.
In Tatarstan, the Tatarstan refinery was struck, with firm data confirming heat signatures or potential fires at different parts of the facility. The refinery, 1,100 kilometres from Ukraine’s border, was previously struck on 20th August, 10th August, and 12th June.
Russian forces have begun stacking shipping containers around oil depots in what analysts describe as a cheap and efficient method of providing drone protection. However, Ukrainian drones diving from the sky can still potentially hit these reservoirs. Fuel lines remain a permanent feature across Russia, with motorists facing waits of most of a day for fuel rations. A woman in St Petersburg reported waiting an hour at 1am with approximately 60 cars ahead of her, with petrol costing 600 to 700 roubles per litre (approximately $6.60 to $7.70 or £5.20 to £6.00). Delivery services quoted up to 24 hours for delivery.
Ukrainian Firepoint 2 drones struck two chemical plants in Samara, according to the Firepoint press service. The Kubishev Azot plant produces 50 percent of Russia’s caprolactum and 75 percent of tyre cord for the military industrial complex. The Tagla Cuchuk plant supplies 25 per cent of Russia’s synthetic rubber for tyres and military gear. Video footage showed air defence systems engaging but Ukrainian drones still making impact, with the chemical plants on fire.
A Ukrainian Flamingo missile struck a chemical plant in the Volgograd oblast, according to Firepoint. The plant produces ferrocene based combustion catalysts and develops chemical technologies. Video footage showed the missile launch. Satellite imagery confirmed part of the main workshop, a six to seven storey building, was destroyed. Firepoint stated that Ukraine is targeting Russian chemical plants because they refine raw inputs into fuel, explosives, plastics, and rubber needed to build missiles, drones, and military aircraft. Striking these facilities breaks the supply chain early, starving defence factories of parts and halting weapons production.
Ukrainian drones also struck the Taganrog airfield, with firm data confirming a fire at the airfield and video showing a fuel tank successfully struck and on fire. A Ukrainian RAM 2 loitering munition destroyed a Russian S300 launcher, creating powerful secondary detonations of the air defence missiles. Russia is losing approximately one air defence system per day, producing about 20 per month, meaning Ukraine is removing a net 10 from the battlefield monthly. If Russia had reserves of 300 systems, it would take 30 months at this rate to eliminate them.
Video footage released by Magyar’s Birds showed a Ukrainian Firepoint drone approaching a Shadow Fleet tanker while a Russian helicopter attempted to shoot it down. The helicopter repeatedly missed as the drone took evasive manoeuvres before hitting its target. The Shadow Fleet tanker was already on fire, with signage reading “no smoking” visible as the bridge burned.
Russian grain exports plunged by 83 percent for the first 10 days of September compared with the same period last year, according to the Russian Grain Union. Exporters are not accepting grain because inventories are full, and ships cannot enter or exit. This threatens to bankrupt Russian farmers unable to sell their wheat or grain.
Video footage released by Magyar’s Birds showed the last moments of Russian soldiers in the open fields. The compilation, Super Cut Edition 60, showed soldiers who had reportedly signed contracts weeks earlier, received a few days training, and were in the open for 30 to 40 minutes before triggering thermal sensors and being targeted by Ukrainian drones.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, dismissed rumours of imminent Russian mobilisation. “In order to change this picture, they are pushing this nonsense about Russia being on the verge of mobilisation,” Medvedev said.
“I am directly involved in this on the orders of the Supreme Commander in Chief. So I can state with full responsibility, we have absolutely no need for mobilisation because the contract recruitment rates are exactly within those targets and even exceed those targets that we projected for the beginning of September of this year. Therefore, all this is lies, falsehoods, a provocation just for the sake of agitating the country’s population, especially in the run up to the State Duma elections. The country’s leadership has no plans on this matter whatsoever.”
Advertisements have appeared on websites and newspapers to hire people to handle mobilisation, according to intelligence.
Russian attacks killed 11 people and injured 96 across Ukraine as Odesa came under massive overnight strike. A Russian cruise missile slammed into an apartment building in Odesa. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 37 people were injured in Odesa, with search operations continuing for two missing people. Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s colleague, Kayn Robertson, was in the building when it was attacked. “Russian drones just crashed into the building that I was sleeping in here in Odesa,” Robertson said.
“This is a really built up residential neighbourhood of thousands of people that were asleep, that had to run out of their beds, go through their corridors. This honestly is one of the most horrible things. Yesterday, I spent all day watching videos of the 9/11 memorial and the streets of New York that looked honestly exactly like this with rubble everywhere.
In the same day that the world is remembering what happens when that kind of terrorism comes through a city centre, it’s important to remember that Ukrainians are still living through this every single day after years of this war. There’s no difference between what happened to the World Trade Center by the hands of terrorists and what Russia is doing to apartment buildings every single day in Ukraine.”
Russia has destroyed 23 gas stations in the city of Zaporizhzhia, 36 in Kharkiv, 21 in Sumy, and six in Kyiv, according to a tracker compiled by Clement Molin. Journalist Maria Avdjieva visited two of the gas stations in Kyiv. Two workers were killed when a jet drone struck one gas station. Foreign correspondent Shelby Wilder, working for Newsmax, reported from outside one of the destroyed gas stations in Kyiv.
“We’re here in the centre of Kyiv and behind me is one of many destroyed gas stations today,” Wilder said. “Russia hit a gas station yesterday and today they’ve hit numerous ones. We’ve actually been advised to not get any closer. They’re still cleaning up the damage over here because we’re still under threat. We are facing constant jet drones. Just before recording this, we heard an impact not too far away in this district. We have heard constant air defence. And again, why should we not get closer? Because Russia is known to carry out double and triple taps on locations. If you travel along the north or east of the country near the border with Russia, all of the gas stations there have been destroyed. We’ve seen that for a long time. Now, Russia is doing it in the centre of Kyiv. Today, multiple civilians have been killed and injured in these strikes. Going into this afternoon, we’re still under attack.”
Zelenskyy stated that Russia produces 140 ballistic missiles per month. “According to NATO standards, to down 140 missiles, you use 280 anti ballistic missile interceptors,” Zelenskyy said. “The ratio is 1:2, but you will never get 280 Patriot missiles per month. Even getting 100 missiles is a huge challenge. This is what I want to have between 100 and 120 interceptors for the difficult cold months ahead. We could get them from the US, either from stocks or production lines.
There is political will in the US to help and sell the interceptors, but production is not that high for now. That means existing stocks are an option. Will the Americans be ready to give us something from stocks? I don’t know. We will see. Countries in the Middle East, we are in dialogue with them too, as well as some package, not particularly large, from the Europeans. With all due respect to the Europeans, they have helped a lot and we appreciate that. They should share these missiles to help save lives.”
Ukraine’s Fire Point ballistic missile could soon strike Russia, according to reports. The 5.5 is the Flamingo cruise missile, while the 5.7 and 5.9 are named Pelican and Krettchet respectively. The Pelican has a range of approximately 200 kilometres and is expected to be used against Russia within weeks. The Firepoint 9, called Krettchet, translates to a gyrfalcon or Merlin, large powerful birds of prey native to the Arctic and northern regions, and can reach Moscow. It is expected to make its first appearance later this year.
Saudi Arabia has shut down an oil pipeline as Houthi forces tighten their grip on Red Sea shipping. Yemen is in a state of civil war between the national government, supported by Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, and Houthi rebels supported by Iran. Houthi forces control the western part of Yemen near the Red Sea and are capturing territory, moving south to control the Bab al Mandeb choke point to fire on tankers and create a blockade. Yemeni national forces largely fled, with only about 20 percent of soldiers present. Approximately 80 percent of soldiers were reportedly fake, with fake names allowing commanders to steal money.
An Iraqi militia blew up the Saudi pipeline that runs east to west, with oil flooding the area. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz, Houthis are closing the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and Iraqi militias have blown up the pipeline Saudi Arabia uses to reach the Suez Canal. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump twice in one day, but Trump refused to provide military help.
Oil was trading at $104 per barrel before markets opened, with expectations of exceeding $110 or $115. In the United States, diesel prices hit an all time record of $6 per gallon (approximately £4.70 per gallon or £1.03 per litre). Trump has told Zelenskyy to stop striking Russian diesel infrastructure. “Mr Zelensky has to do one thing,” Trump said. “He has to stop knocking out diesel fuel in Russia. Let him go after targets but not diesel fuel because he’s causing a shortage of diesel fuel. This isn’t done by the Middle East. This is done by what’s happening with Russia and Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy visited Canada and signed a drone deal with Prime Minister Mark Carney. Zelenskyy also visited pilots training at a test pilot school for F-16s and Griffin fighter jets.
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