re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict.

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Three of Russia's six largest diesel-producing refineries are now either shut or operating at roughly one-quarter capacity after Ukrainian drone attacks damaged plants that together form the backbone of the country's fuel system.

The six refineries—Omsk, Kirishi, Taneco, Volgograd, NORSI and Perm—account for roughly half of Russia's diesel production, according to Reuters calculations based on market data. Kirishi is completely offline. Volgograd and NORSI are running at about 25% of nameplate capacity.

Taneco was struck Sunday. The extent of the damage there was still being assessed Monday.

The attacks have become routine. The International Energy Agency estimates a Russian refinery was successfully struck by a drone once every three days during the first eight months of 2026.

Russia has already restricted exports of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to preserve domestic supply. Diesel exports fell below 1 million metric tons in June, according to trader estimates cited by Reuters. Combined diesel and gasoil exports totaled about 1.8 million tons.

A year earlier, Russian refineries were shipping roughly 2.5 million tons of diesel each month, or 3.3 million to 3.4 million tons including lower-quality gasoil. Turkey and Brazil had been taking at least half of available Russian diesel cargoes before Moscow imposed the restrictions.

Those missing barrels are landing in a global diesel market already short on fuel from the Middle East. U.S. diesel prices crossed $6 per gallon last week for the first time, while refining margins have climbed as product inventories shrink.

Russia's problems also extend beyond refining. The IEA last week cut its Russian crude production forecast to 8.7 million bpd for 2026 after August output fell to 8.36 million bpd, down 940,000 bpd from January.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Hunting down Kalibr missile carriers: how Ukraine has lured Russian frigates into a trap and is gradually taking them out

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A flagship without a strike capability. The Admiral Makarov has become the de facto flagship of the Black Sea Fleet since the Moskva cruiser was sunk in April 2022. Damage to its 3S14 launch system and the destruction of its satellite communications station have stripped it of both capabilities: it can no longer launch Kalibr missiles or coordinate operations.

Restoring these capabilities will require a factory-level repair. The Black Sea Fleet has historically relied on the shipyards of Sevastopol for major repairs. However the port has become too dangerous, which forced the frigates to flee several years ago. Novorossiysk was built as a home port, not a repair centre, and has very limited facilities for dockyard work of this scale. As a result, even a partially damaged ship can be effectively out of action for the long term: there is simply nowhere to carry out the necessary repairs.

The redeployment to Novorossiysk has failed to provide the safety the Russians were seeking. The ships were moved from Sevastopol to put them beyond the reach of Ukrainian strikes. Yet in 2026, combined attacks have repeatedly reached them at their berths, more than 300 km from the front line – five times in just six months. There is nowhere else for them to retreat to in the Black Sea. It is a closed basin.

The missile carriers have turned into floating batteries. Ships built to operate at sea are now firing from the harbour walls because venturing out is more dangerous than staying moored. This works as long as the harbour remains operational. The Black Sea Fleet's strike capability has become tied to a single point on the map – and that point is already under fire.

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I would start biking to work if I was a remaining General....

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Claimed to have been killed at the 2026 Moscow bombing of Colonel-General Aleksandr Chayko's 55th birthday party. A funeral was held on 4 August. He was supposedly buried in the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery with Valery Plokhotnyuk on 5 August

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When a correspondent at Verstka attempted to contact Yerusalimov, he personally answered, expressing confusion over the reports and asked them to not write about him. Official records and registries show that he is not dead and his family has not mentioned his death.

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77% of Ukrainians say the country should continue armed resistance even if Russian winter attacks leave people without electricity, heat or sewage, according to a KIIS poll of 1,003 adults conducted from August 21 to September 10.

12% said Ukraine should accept any Russian demands, even if they look like capitulation, while 11% were undecided. Support for continued resistance was a majority in every region, ranging from 83% in Kyiv to 68% in the east.

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I am philosophically opposed to the United States being involved in foreign entanglements. We have enough problems we don’t need to be involved with any of this shite. The utter hubris of the United States getting involved in a war with Russia east of the Dnieper is appalling to me.

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I assume that you're a Russian

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Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi has achieved the operationally-significant objective of disrupting the Russian effort to conduct a wide encirclement of Ukraine’s Fortress Belt.

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Biletskyi stated that Ukrainian forces have cleared or liberated a total of 85 square kilometers... Biletskyi noted that these Ukrainian gains were only the first phase of Operation Vivaldi and that Ukrainian forces will continue the operation. Ukrainian forces have likely made additional gains beyond what Biletskyi has reported, and Russian sources are beginning to acknowledge these gains.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky restated on September 15 Ukraine’s willingness to engage in a mutual ceasefire on energy targets with Russia amidst US President Donald Trump’s push for this ceasefire.

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The Kremlin continues to publicly and explicitly outline its continued commitment to its maximalist war aims in Ukraine and deflect from opportunities for de-escalation.

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Several sabotage attempts occurred across Europe between September 14 and 15 that are consistent with the modus operandi of Russian military forces and agents, although Russian involvement in them has not been confirmed.

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A Russian frigate fired flares against a Danish helicopter providing routine surveillance of the frigate in international waters in the Baltic Sea on September 14.

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The US Treasury Department announced on September 14 that it imposed additional sanctions against Russian state-majority owned bank VTB for its involvement in Iranian sanctions evasion and increasing Russian-Iranian bilateral trade.

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