Oct 13, 2026 · 23 min
Ukraine targets Russia’s oil lifeline as Britain blames Iran
October 13th, 2026: Ukraine Cripples Russian Oil Refineries & Britain Targets IRGC Operatives
The episode connects attacks on Russian energy infrastructure with an alleged Iranian operation targeting a British air base, while widening the security picture to Europe and Colombia.
- 1Ukraine’s drone campaign is increasingly disrupting Russian oil infrastructure despite pressure from President Trump.
- 2Britain attributes a suspected plot targeting a British air base to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
- 3The briefing also examines alleged Russian assassination efforts against European defense executives and renewed guerrilla violence in Colombia.
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The briefing’s sharpest moment is its account of Ukraine turning drone attacks against Russia’s oil infrastructure into a strategic pressure campaign.
The brief
Mike Baker opens with Ukraine’s increasingly effective drone attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, framing energy facilities as a widening front in the war.
The briefing focuses on pressure against Russia’s oil industry, including the Novoshakhtinsk Refinery in Rostov, despite political pressure from President Trump.
A second thread turns to Britain’s attribution of a suspected plot targeting a British air base to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
The episode broadens the security picture to alleged Russian assassination efforts against European defense executives and renewed guerrilla violence in Colombia.
The central tension is whether attacks beyond the front lines can impose meaningful costs while exposing a wider contest over European security.
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