Reporting from Ukraine News - 4 videos

[TexasTowelie]

Due to my recent absence I am providing the following four videos that were released between Sunday and Wednesday in chronological order.

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June 8

Crimean Bridge WAS A DECOY! Russians BRACE FOR THE REAL STRIKE!

Today, there are a lot of interesting updates from the Sea of Japan.

Here, after Ukraine’s audacious underwater drone strike on the Kerch Bridge, Russian analysts have begun sounding the alarm over the possibility of an even more devastating follow-up. To them, the Kerch operation wasn’t just a spectacular success—it looked like a rehearsal for something far more dangerous, aimed at Russia’s most sensitive naval bases in the far east.

In light of the massively successful operation Spiderweb, showing Ukraine’s ability to strike deep in the heart of Russian territory by both conventional and unconventional means, the Ukrainian Security Service carried out another stunning strike.

In their own, so-called, special operation, Ukrainians hit the underwater support structure of the Kerch bridge. The estimated 1,100 kilogram explosion detonated around 10 meters deep, making the damage more difficult to assess and repair. Notably, Ukraine announced the strike by releasing footage taken from a Russian security camera, showing how deeply infiltrated Ukrainian intelligence services are in Russian networks.

To conduct the strike, Ukrainians used a new variant of underwater naval drone, the Toloka 1,000 or the Toloka 400. These new underwater drones, upgrades of the Toloka 150, can deliver between half a ton and 5 tons of explosives at a range of 1,000 to 2,000 kilometers, respectively. The drones can operate at a depth of up to 40 meters. Their compact design and quiet propulsion systems make them ideal for covert sabotage missions against high-value Russian naval and logistics infrastructure.

However, Russian analysts note that Ukraine could have used multiple Toloka drones in sequence to breach defenses and collapse the bridge. They suggest that this was therefore not the main strike, but rather a field test of upgraded underwater drone capabilities. Operation Spiderweb demonstrated that Ukraine can strike deep into Russia using unconventional platforms, hitting unexpected targets beyond traditional frontlines. Now, with new and upgraded underwater drones in play, Russian analysts started raising the alarm that the Pacific naval assets are under imminent threat.

Russian analysis are worried that to hit Russia’s far east, Ukrainians could realistically use container ships laden with concealed naval drones. The Ukrainians operate a large fleet of merchant vessels, including container ships. These are more difficult to regulate and inspect, making it easier to smuggle the underwater drones in them. Furthermore, careful coordination of shipping towards international ports of Ukrainian allies, such as Australia, the United States, Japan, and South Korea, could reduce the risk of such an operation being intercepted, especially with the cooperation of allied intelligence services.

Once the container ships enter the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, or even dock in Russian ports, they would already be within range of releasing underwater drones, with the Toloka 1,000 having a range of 2,000 kilometers at the least. Ukraine could launch these drones from the deck, or through an underwater configuration comparable to a torpedo launch. The targets would be the Russian naval bases in Vladivostok and on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Vladivostok base houses the Russian Pacific surface fleet, with several destroyers, corvettes, and the flagship of the Russian Pacific fleet, the Cruiser Varyag. The base in Kamchatka houses Russia’s nuclear submarines, which are carriers of both nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, and is known as one of Russia’s most secure facilities. With the Toloka 1,000 having a maximum payload of up to 5 tons, 10 times higher than conventional torpedoes shown on screen now, Ukrainians could hit and sink several ships with only one drone.

Such strikes would not have a direct military impact for Ukraine, but it would bring the war to the Russian home front in a way never seen before. Additionally, it would undermine Russia's ability to defend itself in a broader sense, eroding the Russian nuclear triad even further, after already having lost over a third of its strategic bomber fleet. Such an operation would exponentially magnify the pressure on Russia to seek a realistic negotiated peace settlement, as the Ukrainian Istanbul delegation already noted how, after the launch of Operation Spiderweb, their Russian counterparts were much less hostile than before.

Overall, Ukraine’s strike on the Kerch Bridge fits into a broader, coordinated campaign, seemingly without range limitations. It marks the start of a new phase in long-range underwater warfare. With upgraded Toloka drones now capable of reaching over 2,000 kilometers, Russian analysts openly worry this was only a trial run, and that Ukraine’s real targets lie in the Pacific, where Russian nuclear...

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June 9:

Brutal RUG-PULL! Russian Economy IS TOTALLY SCREWED

Today, there is interesting news from the Middle East.

Here, OPEC has made a decisive move to punish member states violating production quotas by ramping up output and pushing oil prices to new lows. As the global markets react, the shockwaves hit Russia the hardest, with its economy, already strangled by sanctions and inflation, now gasping for air under the weight of collapsing revenues and shrinking influence within the oil cartel.

Recently, OPEC+ announced plans for a significant increase in oil production for July, adding 411,000 barrels per day. This is the third consecutive monthly hike, and the move aims to regain market share, and discipline overproducing members like Russia, Iraq and Kazakhstan. Despite the risk of oversupply, the group, led by Saudi Arabia, is prioritizing volume over price to reassert its influence in the global oil market, building on its previous decision not to increase prices.

The immediate effect of this decision has been a notable decline in oil prices. Brent crude, sourced from the North Sea, has fallen to approximately 65 dollars per barrel, while the West Texas Intermediate produced in the United States is trading around 63 dollars, marking the lowest levels since early 2021. Analysts anticipate that this trend may continue, with forecasts suggesting that Brent crude could hold the same reduced price for the entire year. Goldman Sachs projects that oil prices might average 60 dollars per barrel this year and potentially dip to 56 dollars in 2026. In more extreme scenarios, where global economic conditions worsen significantly, prices could even fall below 50 dollars per barrel.

For Russia, these developments pose significant challenges. As of early June 2025, the price of Russian Urals crude oil has fallen below 50 dollars per barrel, marking its lowest level since June 2023. Specifically, in April, Urals crude was priced at around 47.50 dollars. This is extremely below the 70-dollar benchmark used in the initial Russian budget planning for the year. It is estimated that each 10-dollar drop in oil prices costs Russia approximately 17 billion dollars annually. The resulting revenue gap of around 40 billion dollars is expected to widen the deficit to 10% of the projected Russian annual budget of approximately 415 billion dollars.

Moreover, Russia's position in the Asian oil market is under threat. While Russia has been exporting discounted oil to countries like India and China, with the massive increase in production, other OPEC+ members are also targeting these markets, increasing competition and potentially driving prices even lower, while at the same time offering better quality oil compared to the Russians. This increased competition in Asia could erode Russia's market share and further impact its oil revenues.

Additionally, Russia's influence within OPEC+ appears to be waning. The recent production increases have been driven primarily by Saudi Arabia, with Russia reportedly unhappy about these hikes. This shift suggests that Gulf states are increasingly dictating policy according to their own interests, potentially sidelining Russia in the decision-making process.

Russia is unlikely to benefit from increased production due to several factors. Tougher sanctions that get enforced more and more vigorously, price caps aimed to cripple the Russian oil revenue, and damaged refining capabilities, courtesy of Ukrainian precision strikes, limit Russia's ability to capitalize on higher output. Furthermore, the production cost of Urals crude is higher compared to Brent crude, as well as Brent having higher quality and being easier to refine into gasoline and diesel. There is also constant uncertainty about new sanctions coming soon, including a 500% secondary tariff being actively discussed in the US Senate, which would target countries buying oil and other natural resources from Russia. All this makes Russian oil less competitive in the global market and ruins all plans that have been made for the Russian budget, which is already under enough stress due to the ongoing war efforts in Ukraine.

Overall, while Russia has a say in increasing OPEC+ oil production on paper, it may be more of a forced move by more influential members who stand to benefit more from it, mainly the Gulf states. Due to sanctions, the lower price, and higher production cost of Urals crude, Russia faces increased pressure to offer greater discounts, further hurting its budget. As OPEC+ members plan to increase production further in the coming months, Russia may face even more challenging times ahead.

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June 10:

Finally! Largest Microelectronics Factories DESTROYED!

Today, there is a lot of interesting updates from the Russian Federation.

Here, Ukraine is launching a coordinated campaign across Russia’s military-industrial heartland, to cripple the Kremlin’s ability to wage high-tech war. With a devastating cyberattack on the Tupolev Design Bureau and precision strikes on microelectronics plants, Ukraine is not just targeting weapons, it is forcing Russia’s production capabilities back to the stone age.

The Ukrainian Operation Spiderweb inflicted significant losses on Russia, with 25 strategic aircraft confirmed damaged or destroyed. Notably, Russian authorities are already trying to hide the extent of the damage by swapping out destroyed bombers for intact ones taken from airfields not hit by the strikes.

To complement the severe blow against the Russian strategic bomber aviation, the Ukrainian Military Intelligence conducted an extensive cyberattack on the Tupolev Design Bureau, which designs and produces all Russian strategic bombers. Ukrainian intelligence gained access to more than 4 gigabytes of sensitive data. The leaked files include internal correspondence between company executives, personal data of employees, home addresses, biographies of engineers and designers, procurement documents, and classified disclosures from closed-door meetings. The breach provides Ukrainians with comprehensive insight into operations and personnel involved in maintaining Russia’s strategic aviation fleet. This information could be used for the sabotage of the plant through low-ranking aviation engineers who can be recruited into Ukrainian information networks, with humans always being the weakest link in such large-scale organizations.

Additionally, to cement the inability of Russians to rebuild their strategic bomber fleet, the Ukrainians decided to strike factories that produced other high-tech components necessary for the Russian war effort. These factories produce various microchips and technology essential in the production of Russian bombers, tanks, missiles, guidance systems, vision sights, and radars.

The Ukrainians most recently struck the Avangard microchip and radio-electronics factory in Saint Petersburg. While Russian media initially claimed that all Ukrainian drones were intercepted, Russian emergency services confirmed a major fire in the section of the plant responsible for microchip production and assembly. Thick black smoke was seen rising from the facility, with the blaze covering around 100 square meters.

Before that, Ukrainian drones targeted the Bolkhov Semiconductor Device Plant, scoring multiple direct hits on the main building. The explosions triggered extensive fires that spread across the facility, causing significant damage and putting the factory out of commission.

Earlier, the Strela microelectronics plant in the town of Suzemka, Bryansk region, was struck. Located just 8 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, it was within range of HIMARS strikes, which caused the most extensive damage of all the targeted Russian military-industrial plants. Satellite imagery later confirmed that nearly the entire facility was destroyed, leaving no operational production capacity.

Finally, the Ukrainians hit the Kremniy El microelectronics plant in the city of Bryansk, delivering multiple strikes that ignited a large fire throughout the site. This was the fifth attack on the plant since the start of the war, but the latest damage appears to be the most devastating yet.

The Ukrainian strikes had a major impact, targeting key sites in Russia’s military-industrial complex. The Avangard plant, where a massive fire broke out, produces radio electronics, microchips, and communication systems used in ballistic and cruise missiles, with even Russian authorities listing it as one of the most strategically important facilities. The strike on the Bolkhov plant was even more severe, disrupting the production of critical components for Sukhoi fighter jets, Iskander ballistic missiles, and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. The Strela plant in Suzemka, which produces microchips for systems like the Tor air defense platform, was entirely reduced to rubble and must be rebuilt from the ground up. Meanwhile, the Kremniy El plant in Bryansk, one of Russia’s largest microelectronics producers, supplied parts for Pantsir systems and Iskander missiles. These strikes severely limit Russia’s ability to produce advanced weaponry, forcing a shift to lower-tech solutions that reduce combat effectiveness and increase frontline losses.

Overall, the Ukrainians conducted some of the most devastating strikes on the Russian military industry in recent months. With over thirty percent of Russia’s nuclear-capable strategic bombers destroyed, Ukrainians are now starting...

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June 11:

IT ENDS NOW! 100 Fighter Jets ON STANDBY! Sweden Has Zero Tolerance For Aggression!

Today, there are interesting updates from the Baltic Sea.

Here, being one of the most targeted countries in the area by Russian sabotage acts, Sweden decided to act decisively. As one of the newest NATO members and having the largest Baltic coastline, Sweden set out to tighten its grip on the Russian shadow fleet operations to eliminate any possibility of new hybrid attacks on its infrastructure.

Recently, Russian maritime activity in the Baltic Sea has become increasingly aggressive and suspicious, with a series of incidents pointing to a pattern of Russian sabotage targeting undersea infrastructure. The sabotage operations started in December 2024, when a shadow fleet oil tanker operating under questionable ownership damaged undersea data and communication cables off Finland, likely by dragging a loose anchor.

Just a month later, a Russian-linked vessel damaged a critical undersea cable between Latvia and Sweden, triggering a full-scale sabotage investigation. The pattern continued at the end of May when the shadow fleet tanker Sun was detected dangerously close to a key Poland-Sweden power cable and was forced to retreat after intervention by the Polish Navy. Subsequent Russian provocations near Estonian waters and reports of Polish forces driving away Russian vessels operating near Swedish cables underscore the escalating threat.

In response to recent provocations, Sweden is joining NATO’s regional efforts by tightening inspections of Russian shadow fleet tankers. From July 1, the Swedish Coast Guard will require insurance documentation from all vessels transiting its territorial waters or economic zone, not just those docking at ports. This enforces the EU’s April 2025 directive and reflects Sweden’s resolve to counter the risks posed by the Russian shadow fleet. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that growing incidents in the Baltic demand preparedness, while Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer emphasized the need for increased inspections, calling the shadow fleet a threat to maritime safety.

Sweden has already been patrolling shipping lanes and monitoring these tankers, but the new rules significantly expand enforcement authority. The signal is clear, and Sweden is no longer willing to tolerate covert Russian activity in the Baltic. This move also comes amid heightened Russian rhetoric. Moscow has declared its willingness to use all means to respond to inspections and has begun deploying naval escorts for shadow fleet tankers. Following recent airspace violations over Finland and Estonia, and confrontational language from Russia’s UN ambassador comparing inspections to piracy, NATO states are preparing for further escalation.

If Russia decides to again try to chase away NATO vessels inspecting a shadow fleet ship, Sweden has nearly 100 Gripen fighter jets on rapid response standby. These jets are equipped with advanced radar, electronic warfare systems, and extended range, making them a formidable asset for controlling Baltic airspace and intercepting Russian aircraft. Additionally, Sweden’s Navy is built and optimized for the Baltic Sea’s confined and shallow waters, and includes numerous patrol ships, corvettes, and submarines. Even before Sweden's NATO membership, its forces did not shy away from acting against Russia for violating their territorial waters or airspace, making them well-prepared for any scenario.

The Russian shadow fleet remains a critical component of Moscow’s sanctions evasion strategy. Comprised of aging oil tankers operating under false flags and opaque ownership, the fleet moves Russian Urals crude oil around the world while avoiding Western scrutiny. Over 50% of this fleet transits the Baltic Sea, using the key and most developed Russian ports with the highest available capacity, such as Primorsk and Ust-Luga, before moving toward customers primarily in Asia. The Baltic is ideal due to its hard-to-police maritime corridors and legal complexity, making enforcement difficult. This same factor also allows covert Russian operations, such as laying surveillance devices or damaging underwater infrastructure under the guise of commercial shipping. The sheer volume of this traffic poses both security and environmental risks to Sweden and its neighbors.

Overall, Sweden’s decision to take a firmer line marks a critical shift in regional security. As one of NATO’s newest and most strategically located members, Sweden's participation significantly boosts the alliance’s capability to police the Baltic Sea. By enforcing new inspection rules, Sweden joins a coordinated effort already supported by Poland, Estonia, and Finland to limit Russia’s operational freedom in the region. While it may not completely halt shadow fleet operations, Sweden’s involvement will force Russia to scale back its provocations and complicate any further attempts...

[niyad]

1. Slava Ukraini. Thank you for taking the time and energy to do this after

just getting out of the hospital. Please take good care of yourself first and foremost. And belated Happy Birthday. Hope things start getting a little better soon.

[TexasTowelie]

2. Thanks and I'm watching over my health pretty well.

The doctors and nurses were impressed with my medical knowledge and also told me that I asked great questions about the new medications that were prescribed. I believe that the whole episode was triggered by too much liquid in my lungs since I was also blowing my nose like crazy for about two weeks prior to going to the hospital. I will also admit to my blood pressure having almost as many fluctuations as my glucose levels so I can't take any medication like Lisinopril to help with BP and kidney function.

[RainCaster]

3. Thank you, TX for this great report

There is a lot of good news coming from Ukraine. Too bad our press doesn't want to tell us this.

[TexasTowelie]

4. The press stopped reporting the good news from Ukraine in the fall of 2022.

That's when I started posting RFU News and the Russian Dude online to keep everyone in the loop. It's been 2.5 years and other than when I was ill or no reports were provided I been here on a daily basis. I'm also glad that Ukraine and her allies have held firm against Russian atrocities. Final praise to Joe Biden for sending equipment and ammunition before Trump came into office.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Russian casualties pass the 1 million mark

Link to tweet

Link to tweet