Victory Chronicles-DAY 1280

Russian forces have occupied two villages in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, according to DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source intelligence and analysis project.

The group reported on Aug. 26 that Russian troops took control of the villages of Zaporizke and Novoheorhiyivka, located at the junction of the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

DeepState noted that Russian forces have also advanced near the villages of Shevchenka, Bila Hora and Oleksandro-Shultyne. The occupation of Zaporizke and Novoheorhiyivka marks the first time territory in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast has fallen under Russian control during the war.

Reuters: Ukraine sends 17 percent of Russia’s oil refining capacity offline. Ukrainian aerial drone strikes have disabled at least 17 percent of Russia’s oil refining capacity, according to a Reuters news agency dispatch on Aug. 26.

The agency reported that Ukraine has targeted 10 refineries in recent months, disrupting production of around 1.1 million barrels per day. The attacks come as Russia faces peak seasonal demand for gasoline from both tourists and farmers.

Moscow had already tightened its ban on gasoline exports in July to cope with surging domestic demand before the latest Ukrainian strikes. Military demand for fuel has also exacerbated the growing fuel shortages in the country.

Fuel shortages have since been reported not only in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine but also across southern Russia and even in the Far East, forcing drivers to switch to more expensive grades due to a lack of regular the regular grade A-95 gasoline.

Ukrainian special forces disable Russian logistics sites in occupied Crimea. Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) struck key logistics facilities in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula overnight on Aug. 26, knocking out infrastructure that is used to supply Moscow’s troops.

According to the SOF press service, the targets were sites that ensured the functioning and resupply of Russian military units on the peninsula. The statement did not specify which facilities were hit.

However, reports on local social media channels pointed to strikes on railway infrastructure in Dzhankoi and on the Urozhaina station in the settlement of Krasnohvardiiske.

Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 during its initial invasion of Ukraine that also saw part of the easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhans covertly invaded by mostly paramilitary groups. 

Police combat engineers demolish strategic site in Toretsk to block Russian advance. Ukraine’s police assault unit “Tsunami,” part of the National Police’s “Lyut” brigade, has released archival footage showing how its sappers destroyed a strategically important site in Toretsk, a frontline city in Donetsk Oblast.

In late December 2024, the fighters blew up an abandoned swimming pool building that commanders feared could fall under Russian control. According to the brigade, the site would have allowed Russian troops to secretly move dangerously close to Ukrainian positions.

“To eliminate the threat, the brigade leadership decided to demolish the building and strip the enemy of its advantage,” the unit reported.

The demolition required combat engineers to move directly to the front line under the cover of armored vehicles to plant explosives. The brigade described the mission as highly risky and complex — but ultimately “spectacularly successful.”

Key Takeaways:

• Ukrainian forces continue to pressure the Russian penetration east and northeast of Dobropillya.
• The Russian military command has reportedly given up efforts to exploit the penetration toward Dobropillya, after Russia’s infiltration tactics appear to have been unsuccessful in establishing enduring positions within this penetration.
• Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov is likely to become the Chairperson of the Russian Supreme Court, reportedly after Investigative Committee (Sledkom) Chairperson Alexander Bastrykin refused the Kremlin’s offer to assume this position.
• Russian authorities recently detained Acting Kursk Oblast Vice Governor Vladimir Bazarov, likely as part of the Kremlin’s continued efforts to scapegoat local officials for Russian border security failures.
• Ukraine’s Western partners continue to provide military aid to Ukraine, including through the purchase of US weapons and joint production ventures.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy Oblast and near Lyman and Pokrovsk. Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Lyman, Toretsk, Novopavlivka, and Velykomykhailivka and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.

• India will reduce purchases of Russian oil due to the US position
• US offered Russia energy deals as incentive to push Kremlin towards peace in Ukraine
• German foreign minister doubts Putin wants a just peace
• Trump says he has spoken with Putin about Russia’s nuclear disarmament
• Ukraine calls for sanctions against Russia over illegal use of Berdyansk and Mariupol ports