'They're not scary' — Ukraine's drone commander 'Madyar' promises blackouts in Russia after new strikes
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Ukraine is preparing new strikes on Russian energy infrastructure that could lead to widespread blackouts, according to Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Drone Systems Forces.
Attacks by Ukraine’s defense forces, particularly long-range strike assets including drones, would soon force Russian regions to adapt to ongoing disruptions in power supply, Brovdi wrote on Facebook on Nov. 1.
"Blackouts are not scary. They’re just a bit inconvenient… The birds of the Drone Systems Forces, together with other components of Ukraine’s deep strike capabilities, promise you a rapid, if somewhat forced, adaptation," he wrote.
Brovdi described Ukraine’s drones as "Free Ukrainian Birds," unpredictable and not bound by schedules.
He added that Russian fuel shortages were becoming more frequent, while gas and oil reserves were "burning fast."
The statement followed reports of a mass power outage in Moscow Oblast on Oct. 31, which Russian media linked to drone attacks on energy facilities in the region.
Elsewhere on Nov. 1, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) struck a key Russian military fuel pipeline in Moscow Oblast a day earlier, disabling a key supply route used by the Russian army, the agency said in a statement.
HUR said the strike targeted the Koltsevoy (Ring) pipeline, a 400-kilometer-long fuel artery used to supply Russia’s armed forces with gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel from refineries in Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Moscow.
The operation reportedly destroyed all three major fuel lines of the system simultaneously near Ramensky district, south-east of Moscow. Despite anti-drone nets and armed security on-site, the pipeline infrastructure was successfully taken out of service, HUR said.
"The Ring pipeline was capable of transporting up to 3 million tons of jet fuel annually, as well as millions of tons of diesel and gasoline," HUR said, calling the strike a "serious blow" to Russia’s military logistics and its economy in Moscow Oblast.
