Victory Chronicles-DAY 1098

Flames erupted at Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery overnight on Jan. 26 following a reported drone strike. The attack came two days after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Special Operations Forces (SOF) targeted the refinery on Jan. 24.

Local residents reported explosions and an attempted drone attack shortly before 1 a.m. Ryazan Oblast Governor Pavlo Malkov later said Russian air defenses were repelling an attack in the region.

Andrii Kovalenko, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council’s counter-disinformation chief, posted a video showing sparks and a fire at the refinery after a drone strike.

The Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of Russia’s largest, processes up to 17 million metric tons of oil yearly. Ukraine considers Russian oil infrastructure a legitimate military target, as fossil fuel revenues fund Russia’s war effort and provide fuel to a variety of military equipment. Ryazan is located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of Ukraine.

Ukraine needs $524 billion over 10 years to recover and rebuild Russia’s full-blown invasion three years ago. That’s nearly three times Ukraine’s economic output, nominal gross domestic product,for 2024. Ukraine’s government, the World Bank, the European Commission and the United Nations contributed to the estimate. Ukraine’s direct losses have reached $176 billion, with housing, transport, energy, trade, industry and education among the hardest hit.

Russian forces bombard a medical facility in Kherson overnight on Feb. 25, the Kherson Regional State Administration reports. Enemy projectiles struck a regional hospital, shattering windows and damaging the facility’s boiler room. No casualties were reported. Specialists are working to mitigate the aftermath of the attack, while efforts to restore heating are underway to ensure patients remain warm.

Artillery unit of ‘Revenge’ brigade foils Russian assault on Feb. 25. A Ukrainian artillery unit successfully repulsed a Russian assault, destroying an enemy outpost, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported. A video released by the agency shows border guards operating the RAK-SA-12 multiple launch rocket system to target Russian positions.

Key Takeaways:

• Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin ordered the unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago on Feb. 24, 2022. Ukraine has not been defeated or destroyed but remains resilient and innovative in the face of this unjustified Russian aggression.
• Russia has accumulated unsustainable personnel and vehicle losses in the last three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
• The United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a Ukrainian- and European-backed resolution on Feb, 24 commemorating the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that recognized Russia as the aggressor in the war, called for a just peace in Ukraine, and supported Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
• Recent polling indicates that Russians are increasingly supportive of Russia continuing the war in Ukraine until it achieves complete Ukrainian capitulation but are simultaneously starting to feel the economic toll of the three years of Russia’s war – casting doubt on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to continue to balance “butter and guns” at home in the medium- to long-term.
• Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin currently remains committed to continuing his war in Ukraine despite rising domestic political and economic pressure and has shown no indication that he is rethinking his determination to compel Ukraine to surrender.
• Kremlin officials formally rejected the possibility of a ceasefire on any terms other than the complete capitulation of Ukraine and the West on February 24, further underscoring Russia’s unwillingness to make compromises during future peace negotiations.
• European leaders announced a series of new aid packages during their visit to Kyiv on Feb.ruary 24 for the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion on February 24.
• Russian forces recently advanced in Kursk Oblast and near Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk, and Velyka Novosilka.
• The Kremlin continues to use Muslim religious and cultural structures in Russia for military recruitment.

Oleksii Pohrebniak, a 48-year-old senior soldier nicknamed Dodge, was killed on Aug. 28, near the village of Lyptsi in the Kharkiv region. He suffered a fatal shrapnel wound while evacuating a wounded comrade.

Pohrebniak was born in Novosibirsk, Russia, but lived in Bila Tserkva, Kyiv region, since childhood. He graduated from Secondary School No. 12 there. In civilian life, he worked as a shop manager at the Kachur-Glass Company, a glass and mirror manufacturing business. He spent much of his free time in the garage, welding and making furniture. He loved his U.S. manufactured Dodge car, from which he took his nickname in the army.

During the full-scale war, Pohrebniak fought for Ukraine in the ranks of the assault company of the Kraken special unit, part of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.

“My father loved to gather with his family. In everyday life, he was serious, but when everyone got together, he was the soul of the company. He set us an example of what we should be like, tried to give us everything we needed, supported all our endeavors, and sincerely rejoiced at our successes,” said Maksym, the eldest son of the deceased.

Pohrebniak was buried in the Alley of Heroes at the cemetery in Bila Tserkva. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

*Oleksii’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

• WSJ: Ukraine could maintain current pace of war until summer without US aid
• Reuters: Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery halts operations after drone strike
• Macron: many countries ready to join peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, but US support needed
• Trump believes war in Ukraine could end “within weeks”
• Canada imposes sanctions on Russia on anniversary of full-scale invasion