Ukraine War Heats Up As British Media Tells People to Prepare for War With Russia
The fighting in Ukraine continues to escalate. If this trajectory persists, the Continent will be at war again.
The Drone War
On Sunday, Ukraine launched a barrage of drone attacks on Moscow, killing civilians and damaging a vital refinery that supplies diesel, according to Russian officials. Russian state media said the military downed about 500 drones that approached Moscow, providing a glimpse into the magnitude of Ukrainian drone swarm attacks, which have been frustrating Russia all year. In total, the Russians say, Ukraine fired more than 1,000 drones in that one attack.
Ukraine’s weekend barrage came after intense Russian strikes on Kiev that also destroyed infrastructure and injured civilians, per reports.
Ukraine struck Russia just as Moscow was holding its version of elections. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky bragged about the attack in a social media post. “Our long-range responses had a very significant impact in the Moscow region last night. One of Russia’s key oil industry facilities and the aggressor’s logistics facility were hit,” he said. “These are billions of dollars that sustain the war machine.”
On Monday, Russia retaliated with a wave of drone attacks of its own, this time on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. It also hit carriers or port infrastructure in Odessa and Izmail. The day before, it hit a radio electronics plant and data center on Kiev, per the Russians.
Effect on Global Energy
The war’s effect on global energy prices appears to be the most important thing at the moment for U.S. President Donald Trump. The president is facing intense political backlash over rising fuel prices at home and abroad. “Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine,” he said in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “A large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission. This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended. The whole World suffers as 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, are being killed each month.”
The world is indeed suffering as energy prices have risen significantly this month. In some countries, riots have broken out over high fuel costs, as we recently reported. But the steepest spike in fuel costs happened this month, after Iran-backed militant groups struck a Saudi Arabian pipeline, along with multiple pumping stations, and seized a major energy corridor in the Red Sea. Combined with major limitations on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, these strategic clogs on energy avenues sent global crude prices soaring.
While the war in Ukraine has been raging for more than four years, global energy prices didn’t begin skyrocketing until after the U.S. launched its war on Iran. So it appears that Trump’s unconstitutional war against Iran is the primary reason for high fuel costs around the world.
Diesel Hit Especially Hard
Diesel (crude oil in general) is the textbook global commodity, and it’s the cost of diesel that has skyrocketed most. On Monday, the U.S. national average for a gallon of diesel was $6.51 cents, a record in nominal terms. U.S. refineries are running at full capacity to keep up with diesel demand. It doesn’t help American motorists that oil companies are making record profit margins on diesel right now, attributed to low reserves and high demand.
Some Republican lawmakers are urging Trump to ban diesel exports. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) is among them, and he’s introduced legislation for a ban. We previously reported on that. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the currently the longest-serving senator, also wants Trump to ban diesel exports. He said in a social media post on Saturday:
[With] diesel $6.57 in Iowa why doesn’t Pres Trump put an embargo on diesel exports like presidents in the 70s put embargoes on ag products bc food prices were inflated. High diesel prices ARE KILLING FARMERS INCOME.
A day later, he posted:
Big Oil is telling us we can’t embargo diesel. IF TRUE THEY STILL DONT HV TO MAKE SAME PROFIT OFF US FARMERS AND TRUCKERS THAT THEY MAKE IN FOREIGN SALES.
Many commenters dubbed Grassley disingenuous and incompetent because he supported the war causing these astronomical prices.
And the depletion of Russian energy has not done the world any favors when it comes to fuel costs. The world could certainly use more Russian crude right now, given the aforementioned Middle Eastern energy stops. But Ukrainian drone strikes have crippled Russia’s refining sector, cutting crude processing to its lowest level since 2005, according to energy outlet oilprice.com. The strikes have hurt the Russians disproportionately, as expected, but not exclusively.
full story at https://thenewamerican.com/world-news/europe/ukraine-war-heats-up-as-british-media-tells-people-to-prepare-for-war-with-russia/