Silicon Bites #94 - The only Sanctions that Really Work: Destroying Russia's Oil Refining Capability

Edition No94 | 09-02-2025 - Ukraine has demonstrated there is only one class of sanctions that it can reply upon; exercise some control over and does not have to beg allies to enforce. A class of sanctions that has no loopholes, and no get-out clauses. Which allies will not find some route to circumvent, no and where no third country that can intercede as a middleman for the Kremlin. That sanction is the destruction of Russia’s energy infrastructure, including gas processing as supply routes as well as oil refineries and storage facilities. ----------We ran two events in Ukraine in the last two weeks. Lviv (part 2) and Kyiv. The event we ran in August 2023 was a huge success, and had a great impact. Now our aim is even more ambitious. Two cities. Two events. Multiple panels consisting of the best experts, and all filmed in high definition for the channel.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasBut it costs. Last time the overall cost was £3,500 for Live in Lviv, and we covered 80% of this through ticket sales. This time the costs are higher, and there's less opportunity to sell tickets at the available venues and studios, so I'm creating a campaign to raise £5,000 to make this trip a reality. We also have a much more ambitious programme to film interviews around Kyiv and Lviv for the channel. This project will have an impact, so please help if you can. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------Because of its perceived effectiveness, it’s becoming clear that Ukraine will intensify strikes on Russian oil refineries and expand geography of attacks in 2025. This view is supported by foreign policy analysts such as Hlib Ostapenko, which claims that data shows that “the systematic campaign of strikes on Russian refineries and oil depots, which began in September 2023, is gaining new momentum.”In a recent article "Ukraine's strikes on Russian refineries: strategy for 2025", he points to the successful strikes on key facilities, including the terminal in Ust-Luga and the Astrakhan gas processing plant. They come amidst strikes that are particularly resonant, in comparison to the pre-election period in the US, where Ukraine refrained from such attacks for a few months, but now have hit the Kstovo refinery and Volgograd "Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka", which was damaged twice in the first days of February. ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------NEWS SOURCES:https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3957651-ukrainian-strikes-destroy-46-of-russias-oil-refining-capacity-intercept.htmlhttps://ukranews.com/en/news/1062774-in-2025-ukraine-will-intensify-strikes-on-russian-oil-refineries-and-expand-geography-of-attackshttps://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2025/01/29/ukrainian-drones-flew-500-miles-and-in-a-single-strike-damaged-5-of-russias-oil-refining-capacity/https://kyivindependent.com/4-out-of-4-russian-lukoil-oil-refinery-struck-by-multiple-ukrainian-drones-military-intelligence-source-claims/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraines-drone-attack-sparks-fire-forces-flight-suspensions-several-russian-2025-02-03/----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------