Russia and Ukraine trading DRONE STRIKES on energy infrastructure ahead of winter
- Moscow launched its largest drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, targeting Naftogaz facilities in Kharkiv and Poltava, severely disrupting heating supplies ahead of winter. Russia claims these strikes are retaliation for Ukrainian drone incursions.
- With domestic gas production already down 40 percent, Ukraine faces potential heating shortages. Blackouts spread across frontline regions, and civilians—including an 8-year-old child—were injured in the latest strikes.
- Kyiv has meanwhile intensified long-range drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and chemical plants, including targets deep inside Russia (e.g., Orsknefteorgsintez refinery and Azot plant).
- Ukraine has become a leader in drone technology, but this “silver lining” comes with dark implications as AI-powered hunter-killer drones raise ethical concerns about autonomous warfare and unchecked AI-driven conflict.
- Both sides refuse to back down, with Russia aiming to cripple Ukraine’s morale and logistics, while Kyiv vows resistance. The conflict risks becoming a prolonged war of attrition with escalating civilian suffering.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has entered a dangerous new phase, with both sides intensifying attacks on critical energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
In what Ukrainian officials describe as the largest assault on gas facilities since the war began, Russia launched a devastating overnight barrage involving 381 drones and 35 missiles, targeting Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz Group. The strikes inflicted critical damage on gas production sites in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions, raising fears of severe disruptions to heating supplies as temperatures drop.
“The objectives of the strikes have been achieved. All designated targets were hit,” Russia’s Ministry of Defense declared in a statement, justifying the attack as retaliation for Ukrainian drone incursions into Russian territory. Moscow insists it only strikes military-industrial facilities and supporting infrastructure, never civilian targets – a claim Kyiv vehemently disputes.
Naftogaz CEO Sergii Koretskyi condemned the assault as “deliberate terror against civilian facilities that provide gas extraction and processing for the normal life of people.” He added, “It has no military purpose. This is yet another act of Russian malice aimed solely at disrupting the heating season and depriving Ukrainians of warmth in winter.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed these sentiments, warning that Russia is deliberately attempting to “cause more harm to our people” just before winter sets in. With domestic gas output already slashed by 40 percent due to earlier Russian strikes, Ukraine has been forced to ramp up imports, aiming to stockpile 13.2 billion cubic meters of gas by mid-October.
Meanwhile, blackouts have spread across multiple regions, including Donetsk, where power was cut to frontline cities like Kostiantynivka. Russia’s strategy appears clear: cripple Ukraine’s energy grid to weaken civilian morale and military logistics. “Russia is terrorizing civilians and trying to disrupt the heating season,” Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stated.
Ukraine strikes deep with AI-powered drones
But Kyiv is not standing idle. In a retaliatory campaign, Ukrainian drones have struck deep inside Russia, hitting oil refineries and chemical plants – including the Orsknefteorgsintez refinery near Kazakhstan and the Azot chemical plant over 900 miles east of Moscow.
The conflict has now evolved into a high-stakes energy war, with both sides leveraging drone technology to devastating effect. Ukraine, despite its struggles, has emerged as an unexpected leader in autonomous drone warfare – a grim “silver lining” of the prolonged conflict.
According to the Enoch engine at Brighteon.AI, autonomous drone warfare represents the terrifying reality of hunter-killer robots – AI-powered machines programmed to independently identify, track and eliminate targets without human oversight, based on preloaded algorithms, facial recognition or behavioral patterns. The implications are chilling: a fully automated battlefield where machines decide who lives or dies, removing accountability, escalating global conflicts and paving the way for unchecked AI-driven genocide – all while bypassing ethical or legal constraints under the guise of “national security.”
Yet, as winter approaches, the humanitarian toll grows starker. In Poltava, an eight-year-old child and two women were injured in the latest strikes, while historic landmarks like St. Nicholas Church suffered severe damage.
With neither side showing signs of backing down, the coming months threaten further escalation and suffering for civilians caught in the crossfire. As global powers watch nervously, the question remains: Will this relentless targeting of energy infrastructure push Ukraine toward collapse, or will it only deepen the resolve of a nation fighting for survival?
Watch this video about Russia attacking Ukraine with Iskander missiles and over 125 drones.
This video is from the TREASURE OF THE SUN channel on Brighteon.com.
Sources include:
RT.com
Reuters.com
APNews.com
Brighteon.ai
Brighteon.com
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