It appears that Russia is, in fact, targeting gas stations in Kyiv.
And oddly enough, Russia also appears to be targeting those under the state-owned Ukrnafta, with two more hit on Friday morning. Zelensky condemned the strikes, saying they also damaged a Kyivstar building, Ukraine’s largest telecom operator.
But otherwise, Russia appears to be in a bit of a pickle – a new analysis suggests that Russia’s oil business, to put it mildly, was in the gutter in August, while aircraft engine plants and Ozon warehouses – as well as refineries – are being set ablaze by Ukrainian strikes. Maybe the ongoing BRICS summit could yield some deals to ease some of the problems, at least in the short term.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the war is nearing its end – Belarus is once again talking about mobilization, and St. Petersburg is turning its metro into shelters as the war comes back to the home front, eerily echoing Budanov’s remarks.
In other words, escalations. And it’s still unclear whether this is the escalation before the calm, or merely the small ripples that precede the big storm.
By Leo Chiu
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