Following a Russian drone attack on Ukraine near the Romanian border on January 17th, Romanian airspace was violated. Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled, and subsequent investigations uncovered potential drone impact traces near Plauroo. The Romanian Ministry of Defense condemned the attacks, maintained constant contact with allies, and continues monitoring the situation. The affected area is currently secured pending further investigation.
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Ukraine launched its most extensive air offensive yet, striking multiple Russian regions with drones and missiles over 1000 kilometers from the border. The sophisticated attacks, utilizing decoys to overwhelm defenses, targeted military and industrial sites including oil refineries and airbases. This demonstrates Ukraine’s growing long-range capabilities and reliance on domestically produced drones and missiles, a shift driven partly by Western hesitancy to authorize strikes within Russia. These attacks are not only disrupting Russian logistics but also undermining the Kremlin’s narrative of invincibility and bolstering Ukrainian morale.
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A drone attack on January 7-8 ignited a fire at the Kombinat Kristal oil depot in Engels, Saratov Oblast, resulting in a five-day firefighting effort. Two firefighters perished, and one was hospitalized during the extensive operation. Authorities declared a state of emergency in Engels, and while the fire is now under control, Governor Busargin reported decreasing smoke and fire size. The depot, a federal facility supplying the Engels-2 airbase, sustained significant damage.
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Overnight on January 4th, drones attacked Russia’s Ust-Luga seaport in Leningrad Oblast, a significant distance from the Ukrainian border. While most drones were intercepted, resulting in minor damage and no casualties, the attack targeted the Novotrans terminal, a key logistical hub. This incident follows a similar attack on a gas-condensate plant at the same port in late January, highlighting continued Ukrainian efforts to disrupt Russian supply lines deep within its territory. The scale of the port makes it a high-value target.
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A Moscow court ordered Yandex to remove or alter images of the Ryazan Oil Refinery from its maps and photo services within one month. This action, prompted by a supervisory authority citing national security concerns, follows multiple Ukrainian drone attacks on the refinery in 2024. The court determined that publicly accessible imagery compromised Russia’s defense capabilities and fuel supply to the military. Yandex was fined, and the ruling reflects broader concerns about the vulnerability of Russia’s energy infrastructure to Ukrainian attacks.
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In a New Year’s Eve attack, Russia launched 111 drones targeting Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian air defenses successfully intercepted most, but one civilian was killed and damage inflicted. President Zelensky expressed condolences and gratitude to the military and emergency services for their tireless efforts. The successful defense involved the downing of 63 drones and the disruption of 46 decoys.
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Russia launched a massive drone attack on Ukraine in the early hours of New Year’s Day, unleashing over 100 unmanned aerial vehicles across at least ten regions. It’s a stark reminder of the ongoing conflict and the relentless nature of the Russian aggression. The sheer scale of the attack is striking; it demonstrates a continued commitment from Russia to inflict harm, regardless of the human cost or apparent lack of strategic gain.
This New Year’s attack wasn’t a random act. It appears to be part of a pattern of relentless attacks, a continuation of the conflict that has been ongoing for nearly two years.… Continue reading
A drone attack on December 31st ignited a fire at an oil depot in Yartsevo, Russia’s Smolensk region, approximately 500 km from Kursk. Smolensk Governor Vasily Anokhin confirmed the incident, attributing the fire to drone debris causing a fuel spill. This attack, one of several recent Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian oil infrastructure, aims to disrupt Russia’s war effort by reducing oil production, which has fallen to its lowest level since 2005. The use of long-range weapons in these deep strikes is enabled by President Biden’s authorization.
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An Azerbaijani Airlines plane crashed in Kazakhstan on December 25th, killing 38 of the 67 passengers and crew. Independent Russian media outlets report the plane may have been struck by a Russian surface-to-air missile, citing evidence of missile damage to the aircraft and eyewitness accounts of an explosion. This theory is supported by reports of drone attacks on Chechnya that morning. While Russian authorities initially attributed the crash to a bird strike, the recovered black box is expected to clarify the cause.
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John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood