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regiment of the Russian naval aviation.
In addition to military bases, Ukrainians
targeted Russian energy infrastructure.
In January, at least four large oil and gas
terminals used by Russia for exporting these
raw materials were hit—from the oil terminal
in Tuapse on the Black Sea coast to the gas
terminal in Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea coast.
The latter attack is noteworthy for its distance
from Ukraine. Drones were operating near
St. Petersburg, which is 1100 km from the
Ukrainian border, for three consecutive days.
If Emmental were a registered trademark,
Russian air defense would probably have long
faced a lawsuit for the abuse of a registered
name—such is its porosity. Drone attacks on
St. Petersburg culminated on January 21st in
Ust-Luga. After the strike, a large fire broke
out, forcing the terminal to suspend operations.
In addition to attacks on terminals, fuel depots
were also targeted. They were attacked on
January 19th in the Bryansk region. Local
authorities claimed that two drones were shot
down, and no damage occurred. However, videos
immediately showed several large fuel tanks in
flames, with firefighters desperately trying to
prevent the spread of the fire to other tankers.
Ukrainians also targeted military production.
On January 17th, there was a powerful explosion
at a chemical plant in the city of Shakhty in the
Rostov region. Two months earlier, a private
company that collaborated with the Russian
Ministry of Defense had rented premises in
the factory for drone production. According to
some sources, the building was hit by a missile,
followed by an extensive fire. On Saturday,
January 20th, Ukrainian drones targeted the
cities of Tula, Orel, and Smolensk. The repair
plant in Smolensk, which produces low-flying
Ch-59 missiles, was attacked. One phenomenon
that is worth mentioning is that during winter
2022/23, the Russians ridiculed Western Europe
in a TV commercial claiming that without
Russian gas, people would freeze to death
and starve. The commercial showed scenes of
a family having to eat their hamster and the like.
Well, in Slovakia, we have a saying: "Whoever digs
a pit for someone else falls into it themselves."
Because exactly what the Russians predicted
for Europe last winter happened to them this
winter. A bit of this was also contributed by
Ukrainians because on Wednesday, January
10th, there was a massive power outage in
Omsk after an attack on a substation, and on
Thursday, January 18th, something similar
happened in Belgorod and Crimea. However,
Russian infrastructure massively failed in
January even without Ukrainian involvement.
The reasons were freezing temperatures, poor
maintenance due to inadequate funding caused
by the transition to wartime production, and
a shortage of personnel due to mobilization.
The combination of these three factors caused
one district heating pipeline after another to burst
in Russia. Multi-family houses were flooded with
water, which promptly froze. People couldn't
stay in their homes, affecting not only neglected
rural areas but also districts in Moscow.
Propaganda in Action
After Ukrainians claimed the shooting down
of seven Russian planes in the Kherson region
at the end of December (with at least four kills
confirmed), there was a significant reduction in
the aerial bombardment of Ukrainian outposts
on the left bank of the Dnieper River in the first
week of January. For the entire first week of
January, only two bomb attacks were recorded,
while Russians had sometimes dropped up to
a hundred bombs daily before. Instead, Russian
bombers shifted their focus to Avdiivka.
But a tale that spread in Russian media is
worth mentioning. A Russian pilot claimed that
12 Ukrainian F-16 fighters were shot down in
the first week of 2024, and he personally shot
down three of them. He stated that although the
F-16 is a good aircraft, it belongs to the 1980s,
while modern Russian aircraft have a clear
advantage, with the Su-34 even surpassing
them by two classes. The biggest problem with
this story is that Ukraine doesn't have any F-16s.
Pilot training is still ongoing, and the only report
regarding F-16s in the observed period was that
the Netherlands would deliver an additional six
alongside the promised 18.
The only Western aircraft currently used
by Ukraine is an older Black Hawk helicopter
obtained through a private American company
and three even older Sea King helicopters
from Britain. Their number will soon increase
as Germany has promised to deliver six Sea
King helicopters. They are intended for patrol
missions over the Black Sea. Additionally,
Ukraine is relying on its own efforts and has
introduced several modernized Mi-2 helicopters
into its arsenal.
Russian authorities released a photo of extinguishing the Usht-Luga gas terminal near St. Petersburg.
A Ukrainian drone flew more than 1100 km to hit it.
Fire at a fuel storage facility in the Bryansk region. According to the initial report from Russian authorities,
there was no damage, and two Ukrainian drones were shot down, likely directly above the fuel tanks.
HISTORY
INFO Eduard36
March 2024