Picture with flying roof is spectacular, however the damage was done by Russian anti air hitting a gasoline tank. Videos are widely available online. 1 out of 2 CDUs at Moscow refinery was hit, but not destroyed. S&P Global Energy report from yesterday says outages are expected to last until 15th July 2026. Two weeks.
The tremendous cluelessness and rabid anti-intellectualism of this conflict’s most vocal cheerleaders is an endless source of amazement and shock.
Although the damage to the Russian fuel infrastructure by Ukrainian drone strikes is tangible, there is still a feeling of a huge PR bubble being blown on the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara. A bubble that may burst once the world realizes Russians didn’t it stop advancing and occupying more and more territory.
One side’s chronic obsession with cognitive warfare and “symbolic” victories that change little in the grand scheme of things is a signature feature of this.