re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict.

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Ukraine got the 1980's version optics at that which are still superior to what Russia has

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They love the Bradley. Even if it is knocked out, most still live. They need lots more and will probably them since we have thousands not in service.

a few days old but I don't remember it being mentioned here

Ukraine captures strategic island in the Black Sea after eliminating the entire Russian garrison in a daring nighttime raid — Ukraine's intelligence.

The special forces assault on Tendrivska Spit destroyed sophisticated Russian electronic warfare equipment—including a "Zont" jamming complex and "Rosa" radar station—without suffering a single Ukrainian casualty.

Tendrivska Spit sits in contested waters where both sides have been trading blows for months.

The 65-kilometer island had served as a key surveillance and jamming hub for Russian forces in the northern Black Sea.

Now the Ukrainian flag flies over the island.

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According to the sources, two primary processing units—CDU-3 (capable of cracking 8,600 tons of crude per day) and CDU-4 (11,400 tons per day)—were shut down on Aug. 2. The refinery now operates only CDU-6, which accounts for roughly 48 percent of its total capacity .

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"The refinery now operates only CDU-6, which accounts for roughly 48 percent of its total capacity."



CDU-6 -

It is easy to assume that CDU 6 is the most recent addition to throughput capacity. It was added around 25 years ago. The expansion and modernization was funded from money loaned by the US, just like the US funded crude oil production revitalization in the 1990s

Russia’s Gasoline Prices Surge to Record High on Refinery Attacks

By Charles Kennedy - Aug 04, 2025, 9:09 PM CDT

Gasoline prices in Russia hit a record high after Ukrainian drone strikes damaged key refineries, cutting crude processing by 40,000 tons per day
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A Kremlin-imposed gasoline export ban has failed to stabilize the market amid peak seasonal demand and low domestic stockpiles.

Analysts warn the supply crunch could last into 2026, with prices likely to remain elevated through at least October.

Russia’s domestic gasoline market is under mounting pressure, with prices hitting a new record high despite an emergency export ban aimed at stabilizing supply. The price of Ai-95 gasoline surged past 77,000 rubles ($946.6) per ton on the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) on August 4.

The latest spike follows Ukrainian drone strikes on August 2 that damaged multiple oil refineries across Russia, cutting processing capacity by around 40,000 tons of crude per day. Facilities in Ryazan, Penza, Samara, and Voronezh Oblasts were targeted, with the Ryazan refinery sustaining notable damage. Repairs could take anywhere from one to six months, industry sources say.

Moscow imposed a sweeping ban on gasoline exports on July 28, set to last until the end of August, in an effort to prevent fuel shortages and curb price increases. The Kremlin has used similar temporary restrictions multiple times in the past two years to safeguard domestic supply.

Despite the export ban, traders were warning just days before the record-breaking spike that the ban may not prevent shortages. Export volumes are far smaller than domestic consumption, meaning that redirecting them to the local market will have a limited impact.

Market participants expect state regulators to pressure oil companies to sell more domestically and delay planned maintenance. But even so, low domestic stocks, peak seasonal demand, and ongoing refinery repairs are straining the market.

The shortage concerns go beyond disrupted supply chains. According to industry sources, private retail networks have not built up sufficient fuel reserves this summer. A spike in interest rates to 20% made borrowing to stockpile gasoline prohibitively expensive, leaving traders without the buffer needed to weather sudden supply shocks.

OilPrice

Wrong but not surprising...

This is the Russian Treasury which is topped up every month from the National Wealth Fund, which is the monetary fund of last recourse in Russia. Starting point of Treasury is lower and lower each month.

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the Europeans know they're next if the Ukrainians lose

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They have been told that. 'Knowing' that would mean that statement is accurate, and there is no evidence that it is.

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They have been told that. 'Knowing' that would mean that statement is accurate, and there is no evidence that it is.

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I believe Sweden, Finland, the Baltic Ststes, and Poland all believe the threat is real judging by their reactions to Russia in Ukraine.

Whether or not Russia plans to invade is not relevant, those countries have to be ready to defend themselves.

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I believe Sweden, Finland, the Baltic Ststes, and Poland all believe the threat is real judging by their reactions to Russia in Ukraine.

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Well I believe that the citizens believe its real. Their leaders have been telling them that for years. I don't believe the leaders actually think that, or they would have been spending more on their own defense before 2022. We have known who Russia is long before 2022.

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Whether or not Russia plans to invade is not relevant, those countries have to be ready to defend themselves.

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Spending extraneous billions of dollars on defense to stop an opponent that never intends to attack you is very relevant. Defense is expensive. Many of these countries don't have extravagant governmental budgets like the US does.

Even in the US we are literally seeing with our own eyes domestic infrastructure withering away while we spend ungodly amounts on defense, when there isn't a nation on Earth even capable of invading us due to geography. China is the only one who logistically could pull it off based on their navy, and if they tried all that would happen is there would be a bunch of extra man-made reefs in the bottom of the Pacific with Chinese flags on them.