Ukraine War Heats Up As British Media Tells People to Prepare for War With Russia
The fighting in Ukraine continues to escalate. If this trajectory persists, the Continent will be at war again.
The Drone War
On Sunday, Ukraine launched a barrage of drone attacks on Moscow, killing civilians and damaging a vital refinery that supplies diesel, according to Russian officials. Russian state media said the military downed about 500 drones that approached Moscow, providing a glimpse into the magnitude of Ukrainian drone swarm attacks, which have been frustrating Russia all year. In total, the Russians say, Ukraine fired more than 1,000 drones in that one attack.
Ukraine’s weekend barrage came after intense Russian strikes on Kiev that also destroyed infrastructure and injured civilians, per reports.
Ukraine struck Russia just as Moscow was holding its version of elections. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky bragged about the attack in a social media post. “Our long-range responses had a very significant impact in the Moscow region last night. One of Russia’s key oil industry facilities and the aggressor’s logistics facility were hit,” he said. “These are billions of dollars that sustain the war machine.”
On Monday, Russia retaliated with a wave of drone attacks of its own, this time on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. It also hit carriers or port infrastructure in Odessa and Izmail. The day before, it hit a radio electronics plant and data center on Kiev, per the Russians.
Effect on Global Energy
The war’s effect on global energy prices appears to be the most important thing at the moment for U.S. President Donald Trump. The president is facing intense political backlash over rising fuel prices at home and abroad. “Russia has unfortunately lost control of its Diesel Oil Industry due to its War with Ukraine,” he said in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “A large number of their Diesel refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of commission. This ridiculous and never ending War with Ukraine must be ended. The whole World suffers as 25,000 people, mostly soldiers, are being killed each month.”
The world is indeed suffering as energy prices have risen significantly this month. In some countries, riots have broken out over high fuel costs, as we recently reported. But the steepest spike in fuel costs happened this month, after Iran-backed militant groups struck a Saudi Arabian pipeline, along with multiple pumping stations, and seized a major energy corridor in the Red Sea. Combined with major limitations on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, these strategic clogs on energy avenues sent global crude prices soaring.
While the war in Ukraine has been raging for more than four years, global energy prices didn’t begin skyrocketing until after the U.S. launched its war on Iran. So it appears that Trump’s unconstitutional war against Iran is the primary reason for high fuel costs around the world.
Diesel Hit Especially Hard
Diesel (crude oil in general) is the textbook global commodity, and it’s the cost of diesel that has skyrocketed most. On Monday, the U.S. national average for a gallon of diesel was $6.51 cents, a record in nominal terms. U.S. refineries are running at full capacity to keep up with diesel demand. It doesn’t help American motorists that oil companies are making record profit margins on diesel right now, attributed to low reserves and high demand.
Some Republican lawmakers are urging Trump to ban diesel exports. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) is among them, and he’s introduced legislation for a ban. We previously reported on that. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the currently the longest-serving senator, also wants Trump to ban diesel exports. He said in a social media post on Saturday:
[With] diesel $6.57 in Iowa why doesn’t Pres Trump put an embargo on diesel exports like presidents in the 70s put embargoes on ag products bc food prices were inflated. High diesel prices ARE KILLING FARMERS INCOME.
A day later, he posted:
Big Oil is telling us we can’t embargo diesel. IF TRUE THEY STILL DONT HV TO MAKE SAME PROFIT OFF US FARMERS AND TRUCKERS THAT THEY MAKE IN FOREIGN SALES.
Many commenters dubbed Grassley disingenuous and incompetent because he supported the war causing these astronomical prices.
And the depletion of Russian energy has not done the world any favors when it comes to fuel costs. The world could certainly use more Russian crude right now, given the aforementioned Middle Eastern energy stops. But Ukrainian drone strikes have crippled Russia’s refining sector, cutting crude processing to its lowest level since 2005, according to energy outlet oilprice.com. The strikes have hurt the Russians disproportionately, as expected, but not exclusively.
Sanctions
While Trump has asked Russia and Ukraine to lay off attacking each other’s energy infrastructure, he also signed on Friday a sanctions package targeting the Russian economy. It’s being framed as a punishment for Moscow continuing its war on Ukraine, and is supposed to pressure the Russians to end the war.
The “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026” is named after the late GOP South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, whose passion in life was fomenting war. He once bragged that the Trump administration was “killing all the right people.” According to reports, Graham died immediately after returning from Ukraine earlier this year, where he toured a drone factory. (Graham’s unexpected death also ginned up suspicions that he may have died before returning to the U.S.)
The Associated Press summarized the sanctions bill this way:
The bill … sanctions Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving. It also directs Trump to impose up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports.
Russian officials said the sanctions will only hurt the prospect of mended Russo-American ties, and will do nothing to wind down the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters:
The signing of this document is certainly something that doesn’t contribute to the resuscitation of our bilateral relations. It is also of course unlikely to contribute to more successful progress along the path toward a settlement in Ukraine.
Russia is the most sanctioned country in the world, with the United States leveling the most — over 7,000 on Moscow between 2022 and 2025. Russian officials including President Vladimir Putin pointed to the sanctions as support for the idea that Russia needs to become a self-sustaining nation while striving to create economic ties with friendly nations.
BRICS
The Russians are part of a collective working to create an alternative to the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Earlier this month, leaders of BRICS nations met in New Delhi, India. Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin, characterized as “Putin’s brain,” cast India as the big player that can tilt the scales of power toward East or West. But while India appears to favor multipolarity over Western hegemony, it also has a tense relationship with China.
BRICS may be more than just an economic attempt to break the dollar’s stranglehold on global finance. According to Dugin, the bloc is working on adding a military element to offset Western might:
Behind the scenes, there is already talk of a full military alliance of BRICS, a direct military pact. The logic is simple: the world is split between unipolarity and multipolarity. If the unipolar world refuses by force to accept the demands of the Global South, the East, and Asia, and if it threatens war against anyone striving for a just order, that threat has to be recognized and a symmetrical response prepared.
Dugin noted that the point of this hypothetical military coalition is to prepare for, or to avoid, a third world war:
In essence, this is about readiness for a Third World War. If we are genuinely strong — and our countries possess enormous economic, demographic, financial, strategic, and nuclear potential — then that war may yet be avoided. If instead we keep repeating, “No, no, the main thing is to prevent a clash at any cost,” the adversary will conclude that we are timid and indecisive. They will lull us with false reassurance while building up their own military power in order to strike when the moment comes. But if we show that our strength is in no way inferior to theirs, that we are prepared for any scenario in a confrontation with the unipolar hegemon — joint exercises, military treaties — that will be the best guarantee that a Third World War does not take place.
Another Continental War?
Speaking of war, British media keeps telling its citizens to prepare for conflict with Russia in what smells like pre-programming. The U.S. editor of The Independent, Louise Thomas, published an article on Monday titled, “All the ways Putin could attack the UK with devastating consequences.” The Guardian, another major British newspaper, recently published a piece saying that Russia will test the NATO pact. And last week, The Sun published an article subtitled “How Russia could bring Britain to STANDSTILL with wave of sabotage attacks — with grim warning ‘anything is a target’.” And there are several more similar headlines, just from this month alone.
The Russians have indeed become very frustrated with England’s support for Ukraine, which has openly contributed to Kiev’s military success. But the Kremlin has stopped short of saying they would directly attack England.
Europe has been arming and drilling for a potential war with Russia for at least two years now. Some analysts suspect the entire point is to instigate a world war with Russia, starting with NATO encroachment and continuing with massive support for Ukraine once Russia attacks.
The forecast looks ominous for Europe — and the rest of the world. There is a lot of saber-rattling going on. As previous Continental wars have demonstrated, it doesn’t take a lot to light Europe on fire.
