The Russian Economy Is Sinking
- Yuri Fedorenko
- 4.10.2026, 14:58
About the “cotton” in Samara and Volgograd.
The Kremlin leader dismissed proposals for an energy and Black Sea ceasefire.
In particular, Putin called the idea of refraining from striking Ukrainian ships—if Ukraine refrains from striking Russian oil refineries—meaningless. The Ukrainian Armed Forces “responded” to this approach not with words, but with action: on the night of October 2, Lukoil’s oil refinery in Volgograd and the Samara production and dispatch station.
To understand the scale of the damage, one need only recall that the Volgograd refinery ranks among the top 10 largest in the Russian Federation (with a production capacity of approximately 14.8 million metric tons of oil per year). As for the facility in Samara, it serves as the intersection point of four major oil pipelines. The station receives the “black blood of the Russian economy” from Western Siberia, Tatarstan, Orenburg, and Kazakhstan.
In addition, fires raged around the targeted facilities: at the Kaustik chemical plant in Volgograd and at Transneft’s largest tank farm in Samara. All of these facilities are involved in meeting the needs of the Russian Federation’s occupying forces and are our legitimate targets in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.
Effective strikes were also carried out against the occupiers’ airfields, rocket and space center, and ammunition depot.
High energy prices are saving the Kremlin from economic collapse
Our systematic strikes deep into “riddled” Russia have a cumulative effect. By the end of September (calculations were made immediately after the destruction of the Moscow oil refinery), more than 45% of Russia’s oil refining capacity had been put out of commission.
Since then, there have been several significant “blows” to major facilities, so the actual figures for September are likely to be higher. Replacing the destroyed equipment will take not weeks, nor even months, but years.
Every strike by the Defense Forces against a Russian oil refinery or other major facility is a blow to the entire economic chain, which includes dozens, if not hundreds, of small businesses. Today, high energy prices—driven by the war in the Middle East—are saving the Kremlin from economic collapse. However, there is a possibility that a ceasefire will be established in that region in the coming months and the period of high oil prices will end—but the strikes by the Ukrainian Defense Forces deep into Russia will not.
It would take an entire research institute to calculate the total losses to the “swamp” economy from our attacks. However, to identify the overall trend, a detailed analysis is no longer necessary: the Russian economy is sinking.
It is impossible to pinpoint the exact date when it will hit rock bottom, but the general direction of its decline will remain unchanged.
For a long time, the Kremlin has tried to manipulatively promote the illusion of peace talks on the “international stage,” but the “swamp tsar’s” current stance indicates that Russia is aiming for further escalation.
Ukraine’s defense forces are ready for this: sooner or later, our “long-range sanctions” will shatter not only Russia’s oil refining industry but also the enemy’s entire military-economic machine.
We’re working, building new capabilities, and equipping drones. Stay strong! Glory to Ukraine!
Yuriy Fedorenko, “Facebook”