Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1309: Ukraine’s deep strikes hit Russian oil refineries

Exclusives

From battlefield to oilfields: Ukraine's drones squeeze Russia's war economy. Ukrainian strikes hit 16 of Russia's 38 refineries, disrupting 1M+ barrels daily as diesel exports approach 2020 lows.

The Register: Putin's trolls return with AI-powered media fakes — and a Florida ex-cop at the helm. Insikt Group researchers link Llama 3-based models to a Kremlin-driven disinformation wave.

"When prevention fails, we use law enforcement"—Ukraine's new BEB director on fighting the $ 24 bn shadow economy. In his first interview since taking office, Tsyvinskyi explains how the Bureau of Economic Security will use neural networks to track laundered money from economic crimes.

Military

Russia's backup Black Sea Fleet base used for strikes on Ukraine came under drone strike. Kalibr-equipped vessels that Moscow relocated there after Sevastopol became unprotected are stationed there. Russian commander orders his troops to kill civilians in frontline villages. Soldiers execute parents and take their daughter captive as human shield. Russian troops are still holding a young girl to prevent Ukrainian forces from firing on their positions. Russian forces capture two villages in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts – Deep State. The Russian army also advanced near three settlements in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and one in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Russia publicly acknowledges intent to advance into Kharkiv Oblast should it seize Kupiansk. Moscow has publicly acknowledged that seizing Kupiansk would serve as the launching point for simultaneous advances toward Chuhuiv, Izium, and Vovchansk Ukrainian drones reach major war-funding oil refinery 1300+km deep inside Russia second time in a week. The Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat facility in Bashkortostan generates billions of rubbles yearly helping Moscow to sustain military operations in Ukraine.

Intelligence and technology

Swedish JAS 39 Gripen jets producer's stocks jump 5% after Trump's statements on Ukraine. Markets interpreted Trump's territorial recovery stance as a positive signal for European defense companies. Military aircraft with Spanish defense minister undergoes GPS attack over Kaliningrad. A Spanish military aircraft carrying Defense Minister Margarita Robles became the third high-profile European government plane to suffer GPS interference this year, with the incident occurring over the Baltic Sea near Russia's heavily militarized Kaliningrad Oblast.

International

Russia plans to supply Belarus with looted goods from occupied Ukraine's lands, while US intends to establish good relations with Minsk. Each handshake with Russian collaborator deepens Minsk's isolation, legitimizes Russian aggression, and risks new sanctions from the West. Canada goes big: $2.6B Ukraine aid in just one month. Canada committed $92 million for Ukraine's cybersecurity on 24 September, completing a $2.6 billion aid surge. Zelenskyy: UN is losing global influence as Russia exploits its veto power to hold peace "hostage". Each failed vote, each blocked resolution makes the UN look less like a guardian of peace and more like a prisoner of its own rules. Russia claims Ukraine's negotiating position "deteriorating daily" while blocking all meeting locations. Moscow portrayed Ukraine as deliberately avoiding peace negotiations despite Ukraine offering multiple meeting venues, all of which the Kremlin has deemed unsuitable for hosting presidential talks.

Humanitarian and social impact

Russia-occupied Crimea faces empty pumps and shuttered stations as its roads falling silent under weight of war. With gas stations closing and businesses suffocating, Moscow proves it will drain its citizens dry before giving up Ukraine. "I didn't think at my age I'd face this": 82-year-old man describes Russian bombing of his home. Yuriy Babak from Zaporizhzhia shared that Russian bomb attack felt as if his roof was lifted up and down, while another civilian described how a chandelier fell right in front of her as she was going to rest.

New developments

35,000 Hasidic pilgrims mark Jewish New Year in Uman with prayer and symbolic rituals. Read our earlier daily review here