Russia Strikes Kyiv as Ukraine Hits Another Refinery

hotair.com

After weeks of bad news and refineries in flames, Russia responded with a large attack on Kyiv last night. At least 17 people were killed and dozens more were injured. The worst damage was at an apartment complex.

Advertisement

Moscow launched missiles and Iranian-designed Shahed self-destructing drones, as well as a large number of drones powered by jet engines, in an attack that lasted through the night. Explosions could be heard repeatedly throughout the city.

“It was a terrible night for Kyiv,” Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Every district in the capital suffered damage, Klitschko said, with the worst in the east, where “part of a building was literally blown away.”,,,'

Moscow’s forces launched 74 missiles and 496 drones, of which 25 missiles and 12 drones struck targets, Ukraine’s Air Force said on Telegram. Most of the attack focused on Kyiv, it added.

Many people took shelter overnight in subway stations.

It was a long night for Kyiv. Meanwhile, Ukraine struck another refinery in Russia and this is a big one.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Russia plans to import gasoline from Kazakhstan and India in an attempt to deal with shortages. Russian military bloggers are complaining about the situation.

The absurdity of Russia having to import gasoline is not lost on Russians. Here's a translation of a Russian article.

Advertisement

It's long so I won't quote it all but here's a sample:

We are witnessing the birth of a new economic reality that can safely be called 'the cycle of enriching the Indian refining sector at the expense of the Russian budget and the patience of its citizens.'

Look at the elegant business scheme that is emerging. We pump crude oil to India. A lot of it, in record volumes, sometimes up to 2.7 million barrels per day. We pump it, naturally, with that legendary steep discount that has already become legendary. We spent so long talking about the 'invisible hand of the market' and how the West was freezing without our energy resources that we failed to notice how that very hand quietly slipped into our pocket and carefully pulled out the margin. Our Indian partners are polite, patient people; they aren't twisting our arms.

Next, the Indian refineries, having received our raw material at a discount, perform a magical act apparently unique to high-tech Asian industry: they refine the oil into gasoline. The magic here is that, at the output stage, we buy this very gasoline back. Except the discount, like Cinderella after midnight, somehow vanishes, and the fuel turns into a commodity priced at full global market rates...

And now for the best part—the numbers. 60,000 tons have already been shipped, and the plan is to reach regular monthly imports of 400,000 tons. Meanwhile, Russia's daily consumption in the summer is 110,000 tons. You don't need to be the Minister of Energy to understand how massive the hole in the supply balance is.

Advertisement

And until that gas arrives, things look pretty bad. Look at the size of this line for gas.

Those who actually manage to get some gas are celebrating.

And the thieves seem to be at work in Moscow.

The lack of gasoline is also impacting deliveries by truck, which creates a problem for food supply.

Expect this to continue for several weeks at least.

Food producers have warned retail chains in St. Petersburg of delivery delays due to fuel shortages following Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, The Moscow Times reported, citing notifications sent to retailers on July 1...

"Due to force majeure circumstances, deliveries of our products may be delayed. We ask that you refrain from filing claims over missed delivery deadlines," one manufacturer from Russia's Ulyanovsk Oblast said in a letter.

Advertisement

So we'll see how fast Russia can attempt to solve these mounting problems. Even if the gas shortage disappears and the food deliveries resume, Russia is still paying an enormous amount to keep it going. How long can the struggling economy do that? How long before we see massive inflation? Putin's overnight strike was an attempt to change the subject but the underlying problems in Russia haven't gone away.

Editor's Note: Do you enjoy HotAir's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join HotAir VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.