Vladimir Putin's Russia Day was overshadowed by a series of drone attacks that forced the cancellation of celebrations across the country. The annual holiday on June 12, marking the birth of modern Russia, was marred by military strikes on key infrastructure.
Attacks on Industrial Sites
The Tolyattikauchuck petrochemical plant was attacked overnight, and the Taneko oil refinery in Nizhekamsk, Tatarstan, was also struck. All mass celebration events were cancelled as a result, and major airports imposed restrictions.
Further Humiliation for Putin
This adds to the Russian president's woes, as he faces the potential loss of occupied Crimea. The region's tourism industry is collapsing due to fuel and power shortages and panic buying. In another blow, Ukraine destroyed a £20 million Russian Tor surface-to-air missile system in the Kursk region and claimed to have 'completely paralysed' a key logistical route by striking the Armiansk bridge, which connects occupied Crimea to mainland Russia.
Roman Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's unmanned systems forces, stated that Crimea will be 'isolated' in the near future. Despite these setbacks, satellite images reveal Russia is constructing a new military base near the Finnish border for the first time since the Soviet era, with a dozen barracks being built 100 miles from Finland, a NATO member.
