Ukraine Strikes Kill British Volunteer Fighting for Russia in Donetsk
Ukraine strikes have continued to target Russian positions and infrastructure, with one such attack killing a British national who had volunteered to fight on the Russian side.
British Volunteer Killed Fighting for Russia
British national Bradley Townsend, 33, died in a Ukrainian drone attack in Donetsk on 10 June while fighting on the Russian side. He had volunteered without prior military experience and is reported as the first British citizen to die for Russia in the war. Townsend, from Yorkshire in northern England, confirmed in an April YouTube interview that he had traveled to Russia to fight on the Russian side. He stated, “I am not here to die, but I understand that it can happen.” Townsend left his hometown of Barnsley in South Yorkshire in early April, telling family he was going to Romania. He signed a contract with the Russian military despite having no military experience. Fellow British volunteers Ben Stimson and Aiden Minnis, who had obtained Russian citizenship for fighting in the Donbas region, shared news of his death. Stimson wrote on Telegram that Townsend “would be on the right side of history.” Minnis posted on X on 14 June that Townsend, nicknamed “Badger,” “went into the storm and fell on the battlefield near Lyman.” The British Foreign Office said it was aware a British citizen had died in Ukraine and had been in contact with relatives but did not confirm the identity. [1]
Ukraine Strikes Target Russian Energy Infrastructure
Ukraine strikes hit Russia’s Afipsky oil refinery in Krasnodar, sparking a fire, and a gas processing plant in Astrakhan. Falling drone debris at Afipsky railway station killed two people and injured two others. Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck facilities at Afipsky and also hit a gas processing plant in Russia’s Astrakhan region overnight. At least two people were killed and two others injured due to falling drone debris at the Afipsky railway station, according to Governor Veniamin Kondratyev. Ukraine has been targeting Russia’s oil refineries and other infrastructure, attempting to undermine Moscow’s war efforts and reduce financial revenue. [3]
Ukrainian drone strike kills British volunteer Bradley Townsend fighting for Russia in Donetsk. — Source: ukrainskapravda
Consequences for Russian Fuel Supplies
Successful Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure have disrupted supplies to Russian forces and are affecting both daily life in Russia and the situation on the front. The Russian army has priority when it comes to fuel supplies in Russia. Because the price of fuel on the black market has risen five- or sixfold compared with the spring, there is pressure at intermediate points in the logistics chain to steal it. As a result, less fuel reaches frontline units. Until now, fuel has been stolen before it reaches the army and the authorities have turned a blind eye to it. But now there is nothing left to steal, which makes logistics at lower levels considerably more difficult. Frontline units have also used fuel as a form of currency, selling or trading it to obtain supplies they lack. That channel has now dried up. [5]
Disruptions to Electronic Equipment and Space Programs
Attacks on retail chains and warehouses belonging to Wildberries and Ozon have made all kinds of essential electronic equipment less readily available — drones, tablets, power banks and generators, all of which are badly needed at the front. Ukrainian forces have also successfully attacked Russian space centers, which in turn reduces Russian forces’ ability to carry out long-range strikes and use drones in attacks. This is slowing Russia’s efforts to develop an alternative to Starlink. They need to launch a large number of satellites to do that. Their launch vehicles are expendable. They do not have a comparable reusable rocket and if their production capacity is reduced, they cannot put as many satellites into orbit, meaning the development of their own domestic equivalent of Starlink will be delayed. This also hampers long-range strikes, as well as the use of smaller drones on the front line that require an internet connection or systems that need one for geolocation. [5]
Ukrainian drone strike kills two and sets Russian Krasnodar refinery on fire. — Source: aljazeera
Russian Military Responses and Claims
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces had struck a cargo vessel carrying goods for the Ukrainian army in the port of Pivdennyi near Odesa, as well as port infrastructure facilities used for unloading military cargo. The ministry said Russian air defences shot down 148 Ukrainian drones overnight. Amid the continuing attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday that would allow the state to take temporary control of critical infrastructure found to be inadequately protected from attack. [3]
Ongoing Conflict and Recent Attacks
Russian airstrikes have also caused extensive destruction, particularly in Kyiv. On August 20, Russian forces carried out one of their largest air attacks on Kyiv to date, killing at least 16 people. They used a highly coordinated combination of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones, primarily to penetrate Ukrainian air defenses. Various targets included industrial facilities and warehouses, some medical facilities and civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings. Fighting remains fiercest in Donetsk Oblast, while Russian forces have also begun putting pressure on Kharkiv from the north. The overall number of attacks is increasing, as are the numbers of indirect-fire attacks and drone strikes and some gains have been made here and there. In the direction of Kostiantynivka, the Russians are advancing slowly but steadily. [5]
What to watch next: Ukrainian forces have also claimed strikes on a radio-electronic station targeting a Starlink communication jamming station in Myrnyi in occupied Crimea, a Peresvet-M electronic warfare system in Luhansk oblast, and a Russian military warehouse in Primorsk, Zaporizhia oblast.
