Moscow Oil Refinery Faces Six-Month Shutdown After Relentless Ukrainian Drone Attacks

Moscow’s largest oil refinery is expected to remain out of service for at least six months after suffering significant damage in a series of Ukrainian drone attacks this month, according to Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter, after Zelensky earlier vowed to bring the war to Russian territory. Kiev and the West are flirty with massive Russian retaliation at this point, which is precisely what Putin has vowed.

The refinery is located on the southern outskirts of the Russian capital and a major fuel supplier to the whole region. It was struck at least twice before this month – as dramatic and intense eyewitness videos captured – forcing operations to halt. Meanwhile via Newsquawk: 

Russia has reportedly asked for 50k tonnes of gasoline from Kazakhstan to help ease domestic fuel shortages, according to sources.

“Repairs will take at least six months,” one source said, describing the extent of the damage at the Moscow Oil Refinery.

The Gazprom Neft operatd facility processed 11.6 million metric tons of crude oil in 2024 and produced roughly 2.9 million tons of gasoline and 3.2 million tons of diesel fuel, according to public data.

It comes at a sensitive moment Russia continues to grapple with fuel supply challenges. At the moment, the Crimean peninsula is witnessing unprecedented government restrictions on selling gas to civilians, as well as half the population suffering an electricity blackout due to major Ukrainian drones strikes on Kerch port, and in particular damage to the large thermal power plant there.

Also, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said this week that Moscow is considering a ban on diesel exports to stabilize domestic markets amid emerging shortages.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) previously claimed responsibility for a June 16 strike that reportedly damaged the refinery’s primary oil-processing unit, described by Ukrainian officials as the plant’s “heart.” That’s when the facility first reportedly suspended operations following the attack.

Two days later, Ukraine launched another large-scale drone assault on Moscow. Russian authorities reported hundreds of drones targeting the capital, resulting in fires at multiple locations.

Since international crude oil prices surged following the war in the Middle East centered on Iran, Russia has boosted its oil revenues as not only prices have jumped – but Russian oil was made desirable in India again – thanks to American waivers for sales of Russia’s crude already loaded on tankers in connection to easing the global crisis due to the Iran war.

Keep reading

Ukrainian Eastern Front Is Collapsing, 12 Villages Ordered Evacuated Near Belarus Border – Will Zelenskiy Attack To The North?

Zelenskiy just issued this statement:

I have instructed our intelligence services and military to act preemptively against the facilities that the Russians are using to expand the scale of the war. 

Right now, the Russian leadership is pulling more air defense systems toward Moscow, Valdai, and Putin’s bridge across the Kerch Strait, at the expense of air defenses in other areas.

They have concentrated hundreds of launchers for S-400, S-500, and Pantsir systems in the Moscow region alone. 

They have moved nearly 90 air defense launchers to Valdai from other regions of Russia, and a special air defense division is also being formed there to protect the peace and security of the Russian leadership.

For comparison, in all other directions across Russia and around its other cities, there are now only a few launchers in each location. Those are their priorities. They are protecting their own power—they are protecting the source of this war.

More than 60 Russian regions are already experiencing fuel shortages. There has also been a sharp increase in gasoline and diesel prices, assuming those fuels are even available. 

Russian security services are reportedly even proposing to postpone or completely cancel the ritual of selecting candidates from the ruling party, United Russia, for the State Duma. Their next imitation of an election was scheduled for September, and according to intelligence reports, we now see that Russia is uncertain about how things will develop by then.

Keep reading

Even BBC, The British Intelligence Mouthpiece, Now Admits Russia Is Winning In Donbass And The End Is Near

Tsarizm wrote last week that the end was near in Donbass as Russian forces now controlled key gateways to the region and stood on the brink of achieving their goal of forcing Ukrainian forces out of the area.

Now, as the end approaches, the British mouthpiece of MI-6, the BBC, confirms the situation in a remarkable admission.

Russian troops have infiltrated the strategic city of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine and are now trying to surround it.

The entire city is now effectively in a “grey zone”, no longer controlled by anyone, Ukrainian soldiers have told the BBC.

“They get into areas behind our backs and in urban conditions it’s extremely difficult to push them out,” says a Ukrainian drone pilot who operates in that area and prefers to remain anonymous.

Kostyantynivka is a gateway to the rest of the Donbas region.

If it falls, Russian forces would be able push towards Ukraine’s last remaining strongholds in the east, the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, and move closer to seizing Donbas completely, one of the Kremlin’s key objectives in this war.

We wrote recently — What Zelenskiy is not telling the world is that the city of Kostiantynivka in Donbass has recently fallen under the Russian advance. Russian forces are now focusing on Sloviansk, which once taken, will open the door to Kramatorsk in one or two months.

A situation is developing where a massive cauldron is forming, encircling thousands of Ukrainian troops and the Zelenskiy government will not order the withdrawal to save the soldiers.

“It is a deliberate slaughter of Ukrainian soldiers,” said a source in Kyiv. “It is intentionally losing a division.”

The realization of the situation on the ground explains the increase in long-range attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, the threats against Belarus and Poland, and the saber rattling by the EU.

It’s time to end the war, as Russian President Putin today offered negotiations with Kyiv. The Kremlin understands the situation on the ground as well.

Putin commented, “A coup d’état was carried out in Ukraine. The regime was brought to power that was crazy, anti-Russian.

“They were the ones who started the hostilities in Donbas. They used aviation, they used tanks, artillery, and so on, practically against the civilian population.

“For eight years, we endured, we tried to reach an agreement with them in every way. Then they announced that they would not reach an agreement by peaceful means.

“Well, we were forced to stand up for the protection of the people who live there.”

In our view, it’s time to end the war and prevent a much larger conflagration on The Continent, that the globalist EU leadership is pushing for.

Keep reading

Sheer Madness: UK Tests Long-Range Missile For Ukraine To Bomb Moscow – The US Needs To Pull Out Of NATO Immediately

Ukraine is making it clear they are seeking to “bring the war to Russia” – and this is what’s behind the recent series of massive Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow, which has wreaked havoc particularly on energy refineries, and air travel for the region. That Ukraine desperately wants to gain back what leverage they are able to is fully understandable, however, that NATO is backing such actions against a nuclear-armed superpower constitutes madness

Aside from covert targeting assistance, the UK is taking things in a more overt direction, having reportedly just tested missiles with a range of 300 miles which is intended to be sent to Ukraine’s military

The British missile platform has the capability of delivering 500-pound warhead to Moscow.

The Telegraph offers some further details regarding context to the major Ukraine support program in the following:

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) challenged firms to build long-range strike weapons that can fly at more than 370mph, cost about £400,000 each and can be built at a pace of 20 a month.

Some 27 bids from industry were made with Dragon’s Den-style pitches held last February, before six UK companies were awarded contracts worth around £5m each to design prototypes for testing in just seven months.

By last December, only three suppliers remained: MBDA UK, which makes the Storm Shadow stealth missile, MGI Engineering, a UK small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) with a background in Formula 1 technology, and Rotron Aerospace, another UK SME with a history of working with the MoD.

And the publication confirms that “New systems that can attack targets more than 300 miles away have been tested at a range in the Hebrides, with further trials taking place in the UK over the coming months.”

For missiles of this range and power, this is a relatively cheap price tag, and can apparently be rapid-produced at that.

UK Armed Forces Minister Louise Sandher-Jones has said the new missiles are intended to “complement” the Storm Shadow cruise missiles London sends to Ukraine.

“The UK stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine, and we will continue to provide the support it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression,” she stated. “Project Brakestop shows what happens when we combine that commitment with the talent and ingenuity of British industry.”

Keep reading

Half Of Crimea Goes Dark After Ukrainian Strike Hits Thermal Power Plant

Yet more drone attacks sent by Ukraine’s military has crippled much of the infrastructure of the Crimean peninsula. Reuters is confirming significant power outages, while some regional reports say as much as half of all Crimea is without power Tuesday.

One of the regional publications specified that “Yevpatoria, Saki, Krasnoperekopsk, Dzhankoy, and surrounding areas were left without electricity, reports the Ukrainian service of Radio Svoboda.”

“Preliminary, electricity supply is planned to be restored within 24 hours” – after several facilities in Crimea suffered direct hits by inbound drones. Fires have been witnessed at at railway and military facilities. Importantly, a large fire is being reported at a thermal power plant in Kerch, which left the greatest impact in terms of the widespread regional blackout:

Telegram channel “Crimean Wind” has written, “The CHP plant fire in Kerch is confirmed; the fire spread to a reservoir. The monitoring group, relying on satellite imagery, records a smoke plume about 47 kilometers long.”

According to more: “A strike on an oil depot, a TPP-Terminal, port infrastructure, and facilities in the area of Henichesk and the Arabat Spit is also reported.”

It was only two days ago, on June 21, that an oil depot in the Crimean city of Kerch was attacked, it is reportedly still burning, with reports of fires at the sprawling terminal complex’s Kavkaz port.

Life for millions in Crimea is already seriously strained, after those prior Sunday attacks resulted in the most severe fuel restrictions imposed on the population since the war began over four years ago.

Crimean Governor Sergey Aksyonov had previously confirmed the fuel crisis for the whole region, saying, “Today, June 21, starting from 09:00 am, fuel sales at Crimean petrol stations have been suspended” – though he added that fuel would only be sold to state enterprises.

He made clear in a Telegram post that starting Sunday morning local time gas stations across the peninsula would stop selling fuel to individuals and businesses. All cash, card and fuel coupons were immediately halted.

Relentless, nightly drone attacks making life harder on common Russians – in tandem to the Ukrainian population also having suffered immensely under Russia’s bombs and drones…

Keep reading

NYT and Telegraph SURRENDER to the Truth, Report on Russian Siege of Konstantinovka and the Advance for the Final Donetsk Battle: The Kramatorsk-Slavyansk Fortress Belt

The end of the war in Donbas is near.

In the last few weeks, an Information Op was taking place in the western mainstream media, in which all voices chanted in unison that ‘finally, Ukraine is winning the war’.

But while there’s no denying the increased success of the Kiev regime’s long-range strikes, the fact of the matter in the ground is that, not only is Russia winning, but it is moving into the endgame in the vital Donbas region – the cradle of the war.

We have been reporting on the siege and encircling of Konstantinovka, and how this fortified bastion was the key for the final assault on the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, the last region of Donetsk still held by Ukrainian forces.

But yesterday (22), with the usual delay, we watched several MSM outlets discreetly acknowledge the Russian advances and the oncoming endgame.

The British ‘Conservatives’ from The Telegraph, who are rabid Kiev regime fans, reported:

“Russian troops have infiltrated Ukraine’s fortress belt city of Konstantinovka, a crucial gateway to the rest of the Donbas. Ukrainian soldiers said the entire city, which is part of the country’s eastern defenses, was effectively in a ‘grey zone’, no longer controlled by either side. Russia’s defense ministry claimed its forces had intensified operations in the south-west of the city, surrounding Ukrainian units.”

So, while the posh hyphenated-name columnists laugh and laugh of ‘clueless Vladimir Putin’, they were forced to report the obvious truth.

With their tried and tested playbook, the Russian forces don’t smash head-on against the fortified city, but rather flank it in multiple prongs, encircle it, attack the supply lines, put the defenders into fire pockets, conquer it.

“Last month, reports citing Ukrainian intelligence claimed Russia’s top commanders had convinced Vladimir Putin they could seize Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, the towns at the center of the fortress, by the end of the year.

Such a breakthrough would bring the Kremlin closer to achieving one of its most significant remaining war aims: the conquest of the entire Donbas region.”

Keep reading

Swiss Government Discusses Revoking Protections, Benefits For Military-Aged Ukrainians

During the opening years of the Russia-Ukraine war European states were quite welcoming to Ukrainian refugees and anyone fleeing the carnage and chaos, but now in the conflict’s fifth year the general sentiment among EU populations and governments is changing.

Switzerland, once hailed as Europe’s most neutral state – and among the most ‘welcoming’ countries for asylum seekers – is mulling a policy change which would exclude Ukrainian men of military age from protections granted to refugees.

The Swiss Federal Council announced in a statement Friday that it has begun consultations over the legal status of some 66,000 Ukrainian nationals who fled to Switzerland after the conflict erupted.

Welfare assistance and refugee protections are quite good in Switzerland, given individuals receive basic living items as well as government payouts, and can even freely travel in and out of the country.

For now, protections are expected to extend to Ukrainians in the country, but there’s new talk of revoking this status for men of military age at a moment the Ukrainian military continues to face a severe manpower shortage:

The government announced on Friday that, at a national asylum conference in November 2025, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), the cantons, cities and municipalities had been tasked with drawing up clear regulations for the future of S protection status.

The results of this deliberation are now set out in a concept paper entitled “The Future of S Status”. According to the government, it serves to prepare for three possible scenarios: the continuation of S status; its abolition in the event of a stable ceasefire; and a phasing out of S status in the event of a protracted conflict.

Specifically pertaining to men of fighting age, the government is considering “a possible future restriction for Ukrainian men subject to conscription,” a new statement reads.

“This is because the EU is currently considering an extension of temporary protection with a possible restriction for these men,” the country’s Federal Council has explained. A final decision could come by the end of the summer, but political pushback is said to be growing.

It should be remembered revocation of protected status is something the Zelensky government itself has long asked Western allies to do. It wants the rapid return of military-aged men, at a moment Ukrainian recruiters have resorted to harsh tactics cracking down on what are seen as draft dodgers.

EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner has also confirmed “This is also what the Ukrainians are asking us to do” – commenting on the question of no longer extending protections to Ukrainian men in EU states.

For now, no major policy shifts are expected, but as the war goes on and on, the tone of the conversation has shifted among many European officials. Washington in particular has emphasized that Ukraine’s populace must stand up for itself, and has even leaned heavily on Kiev to make the mandatory conscription age younger.

Keep reading

The Real Reason Russia Would Invade Europe

The press keeps insisting Russia is preparing to invade all of Europe as if Putin wakes up every morning dreaming about inheriting Germany’s industrial collapse and France’s pension protests.

The propaganda has become so absurd that perhaps we should finally discuss the REAL reasons Russia would supposedly invade Europe:

  1. To acquire Germany’s energy policy expertise and finally learn how to shut down functioning nuclear plants while importing expensive energy from everyone else.
  2. To seize Britain’s world-renowned knife-control strategy where criminals ignore the laws while grandmothers get arrested over tweets.
  3. To capture France’s revolutionary spirit, which now mostly consists of setting garbage piles on fire and blocking highways every few months over retirement age increases.
  4. To inherit the European Union’s debt structure because apparently Russia looked at its own sanctions and recession risks and thought, “You know what we really need? Italian debt too.”
  5. To revive the Dutch tulip market and reignite the original speculative bubble. At least tulips are tangible unlike modern sovereign bonds.
  6. To gain control over Europe’s magnificent demographic strategy where birth rates collapse while governments debate banning gas stoves and regulating pronouns.
  7. To seize all of Switzerland’s chocolates, since they’ve already soured their offshore banking.
  8. To experience the thrill of open borders and historic levels of crime in culturally enriched cities.
  9. To inherit Europe’s university system where students graduate with debt, activism experience, and no employable skills whatsoever.
  10. To inherit Europe’s industrial competitiveness, which now largely consists of closing factories and importing products from China while lecturing everyone about carbon emissions.
  11. To govern government’s government by overtaking the European Commission.
  12. To take control of the ECB’s brilliant strategy of printing trillions while pretending inflation was “transitory.”
  13. To secure Europe’s military stockpiles, assuming they can locate them first.
  14. To acquire London real estate prices so inflated they make Manhattan look reasonable.
  15. To learn from Brussels how to regulate artificial intelligence before figuring out how to generate reliable electricity.
  16. To seize Europe’s famous “green economy” where citizens pay some of the highest electricity prices on earth while China builds coal plants by the week.
  17. To inherit NATO procurement systems where a coffee machine probably requires six committees and seventeen consultants before approval.
  18. To finally gain access to Europe’s remaining middle class before they relocate outside of the EU.
  19. To experience firsthand the excitement of driving through fifteen countries while being investigated online for “hate speech” because someone made a joke.
  20. To save the euro before Brussels itself finishes destroying it.

The reality is that the political class in Europe needs Russia psychologically more than Russia needs Europe economically. Fear justifies military spending, centralized power, censorship laws, surveillance expansion, debt issuance, and political unity around failing leadership. Historically governments always need an external threat during periods of internal decline.

Keep reading

UK to send Ukraine 150,000 drones

The UK will provide Ukraine with 150,000 UAVs by the end of the year, London announced on Thursday following one of Kiev’s largest drone attacks on Moscow since the start of the conflict.

The package, worth £752 million ($996 million), was announced by British Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels. According to the British government, which has been among Kiev’s most active military supporters, the package will be funded through London’s £2.26 billion loan to Kiev, backed by proceeds from frozen Russian sovereign assets.

British officials presented the package, which includes drones, missiles and radars, as necessary military support for Kiev. Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged that London would continue backing Ukraine and putting pressure on Moscow. Russia has long argued that continued Western arms deliveries only prolong the conflict and undermine peace efforts.

The announcement came after Moscow and the surrounding region were hit by one of the largest Ukrainian drone raids in recent years. Russian air defenses intercepted 194 drones approaching the capital overnight, according to officials, but the attack still caused damage.

Local authorities reported that one drone struck the Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya district, triggering a fire, while debris damaged residential buildings, vehicles, and commercial sites, including several shopping centers.

Residents in several districts also reported black rain and soot falling from the sky after the refinery blaze, with the local authorities advising people to keep windows closed and limit time outdoors.

Keep reading

Zelensky Gives Belarus 7-Day Ultimatum in Unexpected Threat

There continues to be growing confirmation that Zelensky has been waging his accelerated psyop campaign of empty strikes to conceal a worsening crisis in his own country. Today we were treated to footage which revealed how his latest magician’s parlor tricks work.

It turns out yesterday’s mass strikes on Moscow which were meant to coincide with the Euro Council meeting were pure Hollywood spectacle: the drones themselves were stuffed full of kerosene mixtures in the way Hollywood stages car explosions to look more “dramatic” by producing thick plumes of oily smoke.

What did you expect from the Kvartal 95 cartel? Smoke and mirrors—and latex—are their specialties.

It now makes perfect sense how Ukraine was able to fabricate such an eye-catching mise-en-scene, as each downed drone managed to pockmark the horizon with its own

In fact, much of Ukraine’s recent narratives have been rapidly falling apart. The Crimean “isolation” turned out to be a total bust, as even top Ukrainian accounts have outlined the steps Russia swiftly took to reverse any issues Ukrainian drone attacks have managed to temporarily cause.

Keep reading