Ukraine has attacked a refinery and an ozone storage in Saratov – Finally soon an end to the EU’s import of Russian gas – Russian losses

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Ukrainian attack during the night on the Russian city of Saratov
Ukrainians attacked the Russian city of Saratov during the night, and there are reports of attacks on both oil and logistics infrastructure, with the oil refinery reportedly hit as well as a logistics center belonging to Ozon being one of the targets.

Saratov’s oil refinery has repeatedly been visited by Ukrainian drones and the refinery belongs to the state oil company Rosneft. They process about 4.8 million tons of crude oil per year, so it is not one of the larger refineries, where the largest produce 4-5 times as much. At the same time, many refineries have been damaged and some are no longer even operational; losing another approximately 5 MT in annual production will of course be noticeable. It is not only a reduced production of gasoline and diesel but also quantities of other petrochemical products that are affected, and where Russia may be forced to import instead of being able to export or at least be self-sufficient.

Regarding Ozon, there is a video showing that a large fire broke out shortly after explosions were heard. I have not had time to check how large the warehouse in Saratov is (or was). However, I see that their stock has already fallen 4.2% this morning.
Update: It is reported that the logistics center covers about 100,000 square meters and the stock has now at 09:08 fallen by 4.98%.

Besides Saratov, there have been reports of explosions heard in the port city of Kaspiysk in Dagestan, but there is no further information yet.

EU’s import of Russian liquefied natural gas decreases sharply
Finally, one almost has to exclaim, because it seems that the EU’s sanctions against Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) are starting to take effect seriously as the deadline for the long-term contracts is also approaching.

According to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Belgium, which has been a major importer, stopped its imports in August, which has led to a significant reduction. They stopped imports even though it is several months before the total ban is in effect. The EU’s total import of Russian LNG decreased by 46% month by month to the lowest monthly volume in August since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine began. Belgium did not only import LNG for itself but acted as a hub for several European countries, which explains why their halt had such a large impact across the EU. From January 2027, the import of Russian LNG to the EU will be illegal.

French ports also accounted for 57% of the EU’s total LNG imports (but as I understand it, that is all LNG imports), but the French energy company TotalEnergies’ LNG import contracts will end at the end of 2026.

According to CREA, the EU accounted for 49% of Russia’s total LNG exports, almost twice as much as the second largest destination, China, at 24%.

Importing LNG was still a fairly small part, about 12% (~5.2 billion euros) of the total gas imports from Russia before the war. This is of course because most came via pipelines. In 2021, the EU imported Russian gas for a total of about 42 billion euros. In 2022, LNG actually increased a lot and rose to 16.1 billion euros and a total for all gas of 66.5 billion euros. The increase was mainly due to higher prices. (If Ukraine was behind the Nord Stream sabotage, they thought long-term and knew exactly what they were doing).

66 billion euros corresponds to roughly 75 billion USD. The Russian state’s military budget increased in the first years, and the latest figures I have seen for 2026 were that it amounted to 157 billion USD. It is easy to think that gas exports to the EU then correspond to half the budget, and of course, it does, but at the same time, the profit margin on gas sales is not 100% nor are the tax revenues to the state, but it is probably still quite high; maybe it can still be about 10-20% of their “war budget” that we in the EU have financed every year. At the same time, it is also so much that they will soon lose compared to 2022. It has slowly decreased over the years as short-term contracts have been phased out through sanctions.

When the ban finally comes fully into force, five years will have passed!
The Soviet Union (and also China) used five-year plans; it seems that this is roughly the pace we in the EU can maintain when larger changes are required. My guess is that it has taken so long because at first, people believed the war would soon be over.

Really nice that it will soon be a total stop.

Russian losses

  • 1490 KWIA
  • 2 Tanks
  • 7 AFVs
  • 64 Artillery systems
  • 2 MLRS
  • 4 Air defense systems
  • 1925 UAVs
  • 23 UGVs
  • 590 Vehicles and Fuel tanks
  • 16 Special equipment

Ukrainian General Staff morning report

Operational information as of 08:00 on September 11, 2026, regarding the Russian invasion

Glory to Ukraine!
The 1661st day of the Russian Federation’s full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine has begun.

During the last 24 hours, a total of 235 combat contacts were recorded.
Yesterday, the enemy conducted 114 airstrikes, during which 365 guided aerial bombs were dropped. In addition, the attackers used 10,808 kamikaze drones and carried out 2,953 shellings against communities and our troops’ positions, of which 46 were with rocket artillery.

Hostile shelling affected, among others, the communities of Sopych, Bachivsk, Korenok, Luzhky, Kozache, Ulanove, Hirky, Kindrativka, Pysarivka, Ivolzhanske, Mohrytsia, Yastrubyne, Rohizne, Andriivka, Korchakivka, Zapsillia, and Sadky in the Sumy region, as well as Hasychivka and Kliusy in the Chernihiv region. Velyka Berizka, Tovstodubove, Sumy, Vakalivshchyna, Velyka Rybytsia, and Mala Rybytsia were subjected to airstrikes.

During the last 24 hours, the defense forces’ aviation, missile units, and artillery hit five areas with concentrations of enemy personnel, six command posts for unmanned aerial vehicles, and eight artillery systems belonging to the occupiers.

On the northern Slobozhansky and Kursk sectors, three enemy assault attempts were recorded during the last 24 hours. The attacker conducted 144 shellings against our troops’ positions and communities. The enemy also carried out seven airstrikes with a total of 14 guided aerial bombs.

On the southern Slobozhansky sector, Ukrainian units repelled five enemy attacks. The attackers tried to advance in the direction of Izbytske and Ivanivka as well as in the areas around Starytsia, Chuhunivka, and Zakharivka.

On the Kupyansk sector, the enemy tried to improve their positions on four occasions through assault operations in the areas around Petropavlivka, Kivsharivka, and Hlushkivka.

On the Lyman sector, our defenders successfully repelled nine enemy attempts to advance in the direction of Novyi Myr, Olhivka, and Lyman as well as in the areas around Novoselivka, Stavky, Drobysheve, and Dibrova.

On the Sloviansk sector, the enemy carried out three assault attempts near Ozerne and Kryva Luka as well as in the direction of Rai-Oleksandrivka.

On the Kramatorsk sector, the enemy carried out no offensive operations.

On the Kostiantynivka sector, 17 attacks were recorded. According to updated information, the attackers conducted assault operations near Kostiantynivka, Illinivka, Dovha Balka, Toretske, and Vilne as well as in the direction of Novopavlivka, Mykolaipillia, and Kucheriv Yar.

On the Pokrovsk sector, the enemy carried out 33 attacks. The opponent tried to advance in the areas around Dorozhnie, Bilytske, Shevchenko, Novooleksandrivka, Udachne, Molodetske, Novopidhorodnie, Novomykolaivka, and Muravka as well as in the direction of Hannivka, Svitlé, Dobropillia, Matiashéve, and Serhiivka.

On the Oleksandrivka sector, the enemy carried out three assault attempts in the direction of Berezove and Kalynivske as well as in the area around Novohryhorivka.

On the Huljajpole sector, the occupiers attacked our defenders’ positions eight times. The enemy tried to advance in the direction of Rizdvianka and Vozdvyzhivka, in the area around Tsvitkove and Huliaipilske as well as in the direction of Charivne.

On the Orikhiv sector, the defense forces repelled two enemy attacks in the area around Mala Tokmachka as well as in the direction of Novoiakovlivka.

On the Prydniprovsk sector, the occupiers carried out no offensive operations.

On the Volyn and Polissya sectors, no signs have been detected that the enemy is forming offensive force groupings.

The total losses of the Russian attackers over the past day amounted to 1,490 personnel. Additionally, two tanks, seven armored combat vehicles, 64 artillery systems, two rocket artillery systems, four air defense systems, 23 ground-based missile systems, 1,925 unmanned aerial vehicles, 590 vehicles, and 16 units of special equipment were neutralized.

Join the defense forces! Together we will prevail! Glory to Ukraine!

SLAVA UKRAINI

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132 thoughts on “Ukraine has attacked a refinery and an ozone storage in Saratov – Finally soon an end to the EU’s import of Russian gas – Russian losses”

  3. MXT

    💥🔥✊
    ** ❗️Just now, the Defense Forces of Ukraine struck the Azot chemical plant in Berezniki, Perm Krai. The enterprise specializes in the production of ammonia, ammonium nitrate, urea, nitric acid, and other chemical products.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ** Video:
    https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3mv7xfdsi2c2o

  4. MXT

    💥🔥✊

    ** 🔥 In Saratov at night, Ukrainian drones attacked refinery and Ozon logistics hub.

    💥 It was also burning well in Engels, Saratov region.

    🚀 Volgograd was under missile attack. Local authorities reported that debris fell on the enterprise

    💥 Explosions were reported in Dagestan’s Kaspiysk and Samara.

    💥 Defense Forces also attacked a warehouse with explosives in temporarily occupied Shakhtarsk, Donetsk region. A prolonged secondary detonation is reported.

    💥 Hits were also recorded in temporarily occupied Snizhne, Donetsk region. **

    https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3mv7xf2a6c22x

  6. MXT

    The gas station named russia needs to import even more fuel! 😂

    ** Russia now importing fuel from South Korea, Turkey because of Ukraine drone strikes, report says.
    Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s energy industry have “turned the tables on the world’s once largest oil product exporter,” according to a new report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air think tank. **
    https://kyivindependent.com/russia-now-having-to-import-fuel-from-south-korea-turkey-because-of-ukraine-drone-strikes/

    1. MXT

      Ok, the new AI apparently also has problems translating the English I write and sometimes seems to think that only what is within ** ** should be translated.

      Or is it that I write such poor English that it doesn’t even understand what I’m writing and therefore refuses to translate? 😭

      1. MXT

        Well, that’s just about the number of attacks, it doesn’t say anything more than that. I don’t know how much damage was done, what they hit, if they had to shut down the refinery, etc., so how significant it really is, no one knows.

        But I like the bingo card anyway. 😄

  13. MXT

    Off-Topic, 9/11

    I guess most of you remember where you were and what you were doing when you first saw the news about the attack?
    News via the internet had started to become established and it was possible to follow the reporting via the computer, I don’t know if that perhaps contributed to it almost feeling unreal, or if it was the event itself, because nothing like it had been seen before.

    “Today marks 25 years since the terrorist attacks in the USA on September 11, 2001. That day Janice Brooks was working on the 84th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower. She tells the BBC that the memory of an injured woman who ‘screamed like in a horror movie’ does not go away.

    Janice managed to get out, and when she looked up at her workplace from the ground she saw only a big hole.

    61 of her colleagues died in the attack. Janice did not manage to attend all the funerals.

    – I only went to 23 funerals. I should have tried harder. I will feel that I betrayed the others until the day I die.”
    https://omni.se/61-av-hennes-kollegor-dog-i-terrordaden-hann-inte-ga-pa-alla-begravningar/a/7pw6g3

    1. CB500four

      I was sitting at work, and my colleague said that a plane had crashed into the WTC, then it was just burning and falling skyscrapers for the rest of the evening.

      Since then, the world has not been the same. The positivity and relative security that characterized the decade after the end of the Cold War were replaced by the war on terrorism, Islamists, the Taliban, American wars in the Middle East, refugee crises, Russian wars, China’s rise to world dominance.

      But it hasn’t all been negative, we have a more united Europe with the EU, and the Euro, we have (had) global trade and many developing countries rose out of poverty, and a couple of dictators were forced to bite the dust.

       

       

  14. johan No.1

    Did you see this?

    Maybe I read it wrong but I got the impression that they crossed Zherebets eastward.

    Then it is probably a tactical breakthrough, let’s see how it develops.

    It is Azov that has just gained full operational freedom.

    Don’t have time to scour the maps but I recall that it was quite empty behind the Russian attack vector between the waterways heading towards Lyman.

    However, an area that is close to reinforcements from the northern front.

     

  15. johan No.1

    Saw it on TV that day, probably not live but two smoky towers.

    As shocking as Diana’s death, kind of.

    Some things you remember like it was yesterday 😳

  16. johan No.1

    I think I was fooled by MXT but Houthi did not get beaten at all as I wrote yesterday.

    They regrouped and have struck at the coast.

    Saudi and Yemen portrayed their advance inland as a great victory to apparently cover up the other loss.

    That’s what I can piece together.

    Apparently, Houthi now has full control over the Red Sea passage, which is probably quite bad, I guess?

    1. MXT

      Ah, is that the new black? To blame me? 😂

      This is what Omni has most recently written about them:

      “The Iran-backed militia group, the Houthi rebels, have taken control of the important port city of Mocha in Yemen. This is reported by military sources to Reuters.

      This means that the group is taking a step closer to controlling the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, which is one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

      Saudi Arabia has used the route through the Red Sea to export oil since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz.”
      https://omni.se/huthierna-tar-over-hamnstad-kan-paverka-global-frakt/a/e7w2n9

      —

      “Saudi Arabia has launched 64 airstrikes against targets linked to the Iran-backed militia group, the Houthi rebels, in Yemen. This is reported by a spokesperson for the group according to AFP.

      The airstrikes come shortly after the Houthis captured the strategically important port city of Mocha, which could give the group control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz.

      The civil war between the Houthis and Yemen’s official government was put on pause in 2022, but now the fighting risks flaring up again. Analysts believe that all sides of the conflict have an interest in escalating, writes the New York Times.”
      https://omni.se/huthierna-saudiarabien-anfaller-mal-i-jemen/a/m0dQ71

  17. johan No.1

    So try to choose a currency 😐

    Now Burnham came out hard so the pound is out.

    Japan signals that they need to take certain steps so it affects the dollar.

    and RU escalates against us so it affects the euro.

    The only thing I know is that the currencies will move sharply in the coming years and if I choose wrong, 40% will be lost because someone will have to take the hit.

    The euro is still high on the list, I consulted a shaman who says it is written in the stars.

    Hate when you have a choice to make 😐

     

    1. fedtmule

      If you, Johan, hate having to make a choice, I can recommend that you reduce the risk of having to do so for a very long time.
      You should then vote for the Left Party, which wants to abolish all freedom of choice in society, and as an extra bonus, you don’t have to worry about currency problems, since everything you earn will be redistributed through new taxes. Isn’t that nice and convenient, so to speak……

  21. johan No.1

    RU has prepared an offensive on the southern front and Zelensky has promised to regroup forces there.

    So far, UA has advanced in several places along the southern front.

    We will probably have to see how it develops, a lot of dead Russians is probably a good guess 😀

  23. johan No.1

    You laugh at my misfortune but have experienced that before when you have paid in one currency and transferred to another, it stings 😭😭

    I’ll check if I can get paid in dairy cows or something, they are apparently very stable in price 😐

    1. maggan

      Choose the currency in which you have your main expenses. Everything else is speculation since you always have to exchange to that currency in the end.

      Gold has otherwise worked as a store of value for 5000 years. See if you can get your salary in grams of gold every month?

      Many years ago, I suggested to my boss that I wanted my salary indexed to (Swedish) gasoline. That would have been extremely good until Tidö started lowering the tax. Now is probably a golden opportunity to lock the salary to gasoline again 🙂

      1. MXT

        Good tips!

        For Johan’s part, maybe the smartest thing is even to get paid with exactly what his big expenses are? Chips, dip, Mariestad, and snuff?

        Then he has secured his survival regardless of whether there is a deep global economic crisis?

          2. MXT

            We actually created a “Finance” category when the site was built from the ground up.

            So far, there hasn’t been a single finance post, but now I felt a bit motivated! 😂

             

    1. MXT

      Mokha probably fell yesterday, but whether as many as three brigades have really surrendered is harder to know if it is true, but if so, it is not Saudis but Saudi-backed Yemeni forces. However, one can of course see it as a loss for Saudi Arabia as well.

      1. johan No.1

        Saudi has apparently called Trump a hundred times begging for air support, they are said to have a strong air force themselves with a few hundred aircraft.

         

        1. HW

          Quick googling:
          About 384 units (including F-15 Eagle and Eurofighter Typhoon).

          So they should be able to handle this themselves, although their air force might be more for show with flyovers at parades than truly well-trained personnel?

  27. johan No.1

    I’m not glued to the maps these weeks unfortunately 😐

    90td is another group that should be in a bad position, them and a motorized division.

    1. MXT

      “I am off, so I don’t have time to write posts or keep myself updated.”

      Have to repeat that I am a bit jealous of your job which seems to involve a lot of free time and at the same time glad that I am not your employer! 😂

      Now I am doing the same thing, dedicating myself to Ukraine when I should have been working instead, but on the other hand I pay out my own salary. I hope the war ends before I go bankrupt..😂

      1. johan No.1

        Well, you know 😀

        It’s the only time in my life that a project has taken two years to get started, of course it gets full speed once they are underway but now they are about to start up so sometime this spring it will probably be an active project.

        I almost feel like a municipal employee.

        I do fly past some things but I usually manage to get through it in a few hours so I can set it aside for a couple of hours.

        But the price is that you have had to worry for two years about being laid off and that’s not fun either.

         

        1. MXT

          Understand it, it mostly becomes waiting and they never get started, so the risk increases every day that the whole project will be shut down (or at least that’s how it tends to feel).

    1. maggan

      Maybe a good argument for electric cars? “It takes so long to charge,” yes absolutely, but we avoid standing in line at the gas station for 3 days.

  34. MXT

    ** A Ukrainian Warrior with the call sign “Briton” had multiple shrapnel wounds. But he still shot down Russian FPV drones, trying to save his critically injured and unconscious brother-in-arms during an evacuation. 📹: 66th Mechanized Brigade

    The evacuation platform came under several Russian FPV drone attacks. Using small arms, “Briton” shot down three of them (two were caught on video), while the operator “Mongoose” controlled the unmanned ground vehicle to evacuate the wounded Defender. **

    https://bsky.app/profile/antongerashchenko.bsky.social/post/3mva7ybycw22r

  35. MXT

    Off-Topic, weather and climate

    I do believe that El Niño can have quite a significant impact; we might not see many new records in the coming years (at least I hope so).

    “August was the warmest month ever recorded on Earth. This according to a report from the EU’s climate service Copernicus, several media outlets report.

    The global average temperature last month was 16.96 degrees. That is 1.65 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Sea surface temperatures were also at record highs, with an average temperature of 21.07 degrees.

    – The long-term warming is happening very fast now. This is expected because we have sky-high greenhouse gas emissions. It is also alarming. Emissions must be addressed as soon as possible, says Erik Kjellström, professor of climatology at SMHI, to DN.

    Climate change is the main explanation for the warming, but it is amplified by the weather phenomenon El Niño.”
    https://omni.se/augusti-varmaste-uppmatta-manaden-nagonsin/a/QJ2PWR

    1. maggan

      Strange. 6000 years ago, the average temperature was much higher according to measured bore cores, this according to the IPCC. Before that, it was even warmer.

      But don’t let the facts stop the narrative. It is very warm right now.

      Had the first fire today, so locally on the west coast there is an enormous climate change, the average temperature in the sun has dropped by 10 degrees in just one month.

      1. MXT

        The temperature was abnormally high 6-7000 years ago (the period is called the Holocene) and was then above pre-industrial times (1850-1900), estimated to be about 0.2-1.0 degrees higher, but in recent years we are up to about +1.1 degrees.

        So it was not warmer then than it is now.

        The reason it was so warm then was due to several factors, including the Earth’s axis having a different tilt which caused the northern hemisphere to be more illuminated at the same time as the Earth’s orbit around the sun also looked different. Simply put. 

        We do not have those conditions today; it is roughly estimated that the next Holocene will come in about 50,000 years. (If we have failed to get the climate under control by then, we are probably both figuratively and literally doomed).

        1. Proxima

          It can get cold in the Arctic. When I was there last? and went to check the temperature on the thermometer, the mercury was frozen. I had to light a fire under the thermometer to be able to see how cold it was. But this was in the 70s.🥶😉
          It’s probably milder there now.

      2. CB500four

        There have certainly been times when it was warmer than now, especially between ice ages. Among other times, about 120k years ago.

        This is a good site for temperature and CO2 statistics Global Historical Temperature Record and widget It goes back 800k years

        You can see how CO2 and temperature follow each other. It can be difficult to see which comes first, but it is visible that the temperature peaks after CO2 has peaked.

        What stands out now is how fast it is happening. And CO2 has at least during the last 800k years never been as high as it is now, so we are in “uncharted territory”

        We were on our way towards a new ice age, and sure, it might come, but we have probably delayed it by a couple of thousand years.

  36. MXT

    ** 🇺🇦Novopavlivka direction:

    Following stabilization measures in the area around the “Filia” settlement, the situation remains dynamic. Directly south & southwest of the settlement, the “grey zone” continues to expand – combat operations and the movement of small enemy groups are gradually shifting to adjacent groves and fields.

    🇺🇦At the same time, it is worth noting the area around Novopavlivka. According to our fighters, they have managed to advance along the groves in a southerly direction, gradually forming a zone where fighting is now approaching the village of Dachne. This particular area is currently of greatest interest, as further advances by our forces could create additional pressure on the approaches to the settlement.

    🇺🇦 Fighting continues in this area, so the situation may still change. At this point, this is more of a general assessment of the situation: based on the results of further fighting and the emergence of additional evidence, it will be possible to speak more specifically about actual changes to the line of contact. 🌚Working!

    🇺🇦Muchnoy ✙ Jugend | **

    https://bsky.app/profile/babayagafella.bsky.social/post/3mvachtdpas2h

  37. johan No.1

    Pekka

    number two to the above about Kamyanske, so there is some movement around Kamyanske but in the wrong direction.

    RU is said to have prepared 150k in the wider area along the southern front.

    Zelensky promised a few weeks ago to add capability.

    I think it is early in the game there.

    UA has made small local offensives and RU likewise.

    Some corps commander recently said it is stressful but manageable.

    Better start checking where they have pulled away units, Kostyantynivka RU has become passive there, so maybe there?

    Or Dnepr?

    Vacation is bad because then you don’t have a 24/7 staffed headquarters 😐

  38. johan No.1

    Well, it’s basically empty on the eastern side of Zherebets 😶

    What’s there are mostly those who have already been run through the gauntlet.

    The only way to get reinforcements down is to convoy on the highway, and the 3rd corps has plenty of drone capability.

    The 125th Mechanized is in the area and is a strong unit, as far as I remember.

    —

    Heck knows what RU has reinforced the southern front with, the last VDV division has at least been moved from the Dnepr.

    They are supposed to have gathered 150,000 troops, so more must have been brought in, maybe it will become clearer.

     

     

  40. johan No.1

    Anyway, I want my money back and feel cheated because of the deadly heat 😐

    We turned on the heat when we got home but at least today it is sunny

    Had plans to swim 😭

    1. maggan

      Maybe it’s better to rip off the bandage (Iran) than just to accept (Saudi)?

      Let the shit show begin, it should end in a few weeks if the Middle East just showed strength?

      Low-arousal approach doesn’t work on non-democratic countries.

      1. DJ

        How could it end in a few weeks? I don’t think a ten-day special operation works against 10 million people on the regime’s side in Iran. There are also plenty of mountainous areas to hide in.

    2. CB500four

      Well,

      Saudi Arabia is asking its ally the USA for help, but no. I guess Saudi Arabia is not willing to pay Trump enough for protection; he has probably raised the price now as he prepares for the election, and whatever he has planned after that.

      However, I don’t think the Houthis will manage to keep the Red Sea closed for much longer; it is such an important shipping route for almost the entire world that they will probably attract bigger problems than they can handle.

      But it would probably raise gas and oil prices even more, and cause even more problems in the gas-dependent countries.

       

       

       

  43. johan No.1

    Yes Maggan, it is probably time for RU and Iran have planned it in several steps.

    Houthi are actually formidable but those who have not moved yet are meant to be Ukrainians – the Kurds.

    Most others are quite tired of Iran, Houthi, and Hamas

  45. MXT

    Nice when the election debates are over in the neighboring building (the gas holders in Gävle). I forget that I have to go to work via a back road, so I have to turn around. There is nothing worse in terms of first-world problems than being forced to take a detour.

    1. MXT

      It can be mentioned that many prominent rock bands have performed in the area. Deep Purple is probably one of the more well-known. Motörhead, Saxon, Ghost, Sepultura, Nightwish, In Flames, System of a Down are perhaps some that some of you recognize. Hawkwind is by the way one of my old favorites (even though they were long before my time).

      (Jimmie Hendrix of course never performed here but in Högbo in the neighboring village Sandviken, but he ate hamburgers in Gävle at the long-closed Bosses grill where one almost always ended the evening with a “drunken burger” in youth.)

      2. Jan W

        I have a distant relative who organized concert tours back then. He traveled by car with Hendrix during the mentioned stay in Sweden. Hendrix wasn’t that big at the time. It must have been 1967. They got a flat tire. Hendrix had to change the tire. (That’s what they say.)

        I read Miles Davis’s autobiography. They hung out quite a bit. But unfortunately no performance together before Hendrix died. It would have been fun to hear them play together on some kind of follow-up to Davis’s Bitches Brew, which came out the same year Hendrix died. (Bitches Brew is a fantastic album.)

        1. MXT

          It could have been a really good collaboration. It’s a shame it didn’t happen.

          My better half’s father was at the concert in Högbo, but didn’t realize how big it was at the time, but that was probably because of what you write, he wasn’t such a big world star then.

    1. MXT

      You are right, if your goal is that the party you vote for should also have the best chance of being on the winning side, then it’s probably KD you should vote for. They will try to be involved regardless of which side wins.

      Personally, I don’t think the election should be compared to V-75 where it’s about betting on the winning horse. No prize money will be paid out if you are correct.

      My advice is to vote for the party that pursues the policies that best match what you think is important, not the party you think will win. 🤷🏻‍♂️

      1. DJ

        Don’t I get 5000 dollars if I win? But if I get more nuclear power, good support for Ukraine, and otherwise roughly the same as now, I still feel like a winner.

  47. Jan W

    Since we have already been off topic about the climate. A few brief statistical facts.

    If we start by defining gross greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as total emissions from vehicles, factory chimneys, etc., and net emissions as emissions minus uptake primarily in forests. Then it applies that Sweden in the last reported two years (2024 and 2024) has had negative net greenhouse gas emissions (territorial). This means that within the country’s borders, more greenhouse gases were eliminated than were emitted. It can thus be noted that we contributed to reducing the concentration of GHG in the atmosphere.

    Sweden, with the exception of Malta, has the lowest gross emissions per capita in the EU. We are the only country in the EU that is close to balancing our gross emissions with uptake.

    Since 1990, Sweden and the EU have reduced gross emissions by more than 30 percent. The rest of the world has increased by 80 percent. Calculated per capita, global gross emissions are 30 percent higher than Sweden’s. China is just over twice as high. The USA is significantly more than three times as high.

    A calculation example based on data from the IPCC. If the EU reaches its long-term goal – net zero by 2050 – the accumulated emissions during this period can be estimated to cause a temperature increase in the range of 1 to 2 hundredths of a degree. Sweden’s gross emissions are on the order of one hundredth of the EU’s and our net emissions are thus negative. An approximate calculation can be made regarding what our emissions mean for the climate.

    We should of course take our responsibility, but we cannot save the climate.

    A more detailed account and links to all claims on the matter can be found in the linked article.

    https://www.fokus.se/opinion/jan-weiner-orimligt-med-hogre-klimatmal-an-eu-kraver/

    1. MXT

      You are absolutely right, neither Sweden nor the EU can save the climate alone, but if we do not try, we cannot expect others to do it either.

      Compare with the war in Ukraine. A single Ukrainian soldier cannot defeat Russia. Does that mean he should give up and stop fighting? There are Ukrainians who do not volunteer for the war, Ukrainians who have fled the country, etc. so why should the hypothetical soldier then fight and risk his life? Why not just give up?

       

    2. MXT

      Of course, one can reason that Sweden is the best in the world on climate. It is not fair considering that everyone else does less and it costs us quite a bit. No, we should try to position ourselves somewhere in the middle.

      Once we have left first place, it is completely logical that those who then become the best reason in the same way. And so on, until everyone competes to do the least. 

    3. Jan W

      Absolutely, we must contribute. But we may also need to set a limit to our sacrifices. We will probably find it extremely difficult to reach our own national climate targets. From 1994 onwards, there has been an almost linear decrease in our gross emissions of almost exactly 1 Mton per year. To reach our goal by 2045, the rate of reduction per year must increase by an average of 70 percent. And by then, we have already tackled the easiest parts, including heating, which is today almost fossil-free. See also figure 3 in the linked article.

      The EU also needs to ensure economic competitiveness in a world where brutal power politics are on the rise.

      1. MXT

        We will surely have the opportunity to take this further, but it feels positive that you see the problems even if we may disagree about the role of Sweden and the EU. Looking at one of the biggest culprits, China, they have, admittedly from a really poor position, done a lot in the past 2-3 years. The EU has worked long-term much longer of course and has overall come much further than China, but the arguments that others are not doing anything.. 

        But let us continue the discussion. I appreciate it when there are arguments with substance.

  48. fedtmule

    Try to get the Green Party to grasp it. Unfortunately, it’s not just about facts for them. It’s more a matter of religious belief, and that is not easily shaken.
    That countries like China stand aside and chuckle at our exaggerated, self-imposed, and ascetic drive to actively undermine our own competitiveness within the EU is, to say the least, fascinating.
    Like some countries’ and parties’ opposition to nuclear power, to name one example.

    2. CB500four

      China made a fast version of the West’s growth. First, they focused on the maximum amount of energy in the shortest time, building coal and gas power plants on an ongoing basis, and with that energy, they created economic growth.

      Then they switched to the green path with the same concept, building solar, wind power, hydropower, and nuclear power, and electric cars at a pace we will never reach.

      Of course, in China, they do not have long processes with landowners, environmentalists, etc. Instead, China has one party and five-year plans. During the planning of these five-year plans, they probably have a group of technocrats and economists who weigh economy, environment, and access to energy.

      I would rather have a slow democratic system with human rights than a Chinese system where the individual exists only for the state and the party. One disadvantage, however, is that some critical decisions are made by people who do not have the knowledge to understand the consequences of their decisions. That is where we are when it comes to the electricity system.

  50. johan No.1

    Yes, you should vote for the party you believe in.

    But if it comes down to whether your party continues to be part of a government or ends up in opposition, the choice is simple because then the policies I want won’t be pursued at all for four years.

    Now I probably voted for KD last time and they will probably be out instead of L, so I guess I’ll have to eat this 😀

    I want to see the Tidö Agreement continue because I think we’ve had four good years. L is also a good balance closer to the center, so they can gladly become a bit bigger, and KD as well.

    I see no problem if S, M, KD, L form a government in any combination they want; they are welcome to do that because it will result in good policies.

  51. johan No.1

    China is starting to completely outcompete our car production after all the political regulations.

    Unfortunately, they have only just begun, so soon the politicians must set a hard limit.

    There will definitely be environmental benefits, making it easy to justify.

    1. DJ

      It is difficult to do anything short-term when looking at the available capacity in the power systems, China vs Europe + USA, as well as access to raw materials. They will be able to produce much more than we can simply because when it comes to large-scale manufacturing, the price is dominated by energy + input raw materials.

      To be blunt, there is one thing Europe needs, and that is Russia 😐 Cheap gas and plenty of raw materials until the Germans get their fusion power plants going. Now, this is not a completely unserious suggestion from my side, even though it is, of course, a bit bold. It obviously requires a major regime change, but the rest will probably sort itself out if the Russian people are as compliant and have the kind of slave mentality that the rumor says.

      1. Jan W

        The development is so bottomlessly tragic. Europe and Russia could have been “a match in heaven,” to use a worn metaphorical cliché. It could have been so much better for both parties. Not least for the Russians.

        Possibly one can reflect on bad advisors from Europe and also Sweden whose involvement during the transition possibly contributed to the emergence of the gangster society that is part of today’s development.

      2. CB500four

        Well, that was really swearing in church, but no one is scolding you here for that 🙂

        That is probably true, and Russia knows it, and knew it.

        And as Jan writes above. If Russia and its leaders could just behave like decent people, and not try with violence to turn back time to before ’89, they could together with Europe be the world’s economic center. It is so stupid that it is hard to grasp.

        1. DJ

          Yes, it is truly bottomlessly tragic as Jan writes. Many years of incompetence piled on top of each other as well, of course, from the European side. That the remnants of the Soviet Union were fragile was something you could figure out.

          But oh well, you just have to roll up your sleeves. Step one is to hit Russia hard. Then maybe bring out the carrot.

          1. CB500four

            It is a ’72, was more or less a ratbike when I bought it, so there was no point in making it a museum vehicle, so it had to become a cafe racer. Nice to ride around on winding roads, but uncomfortable if you are taller than 150cm 😀

             

      1. DJ

        They have a market economy in China. Actually – as long as you don’t tread on the state’s areas of interest. When the acquisitions are completed, the winners have slightly better margins, so a small relief for Europe, but at the same time a larger scale so it might balance out?

        1. Pehr

          Yes. It is bound to be a consolidation of rank.
          When government subsidies were removed, the domestic market almost collapsed, if one can now call a 25% decline this year that.
          Then the old British post-war motto applies: “export or die.” Where a heavily undervalued currency gives an extra boost to Chinese exports.

    3. CB500four

      One really has to consider where China gets, or has gotten, the money for everything that is subsidized, and everything that is being built, but it is probably starting to crack little by little.

      They have given subsidies to hundreds of electric car startups, and gradually the smaller ones are bought up by the bigger ones, and the worse ones are shut down until only a number of the best electric car manufacturers remain.

      As far as I understand, China has now reduced subsidies for the purchase of electric cars, which has caused sales to drop by about 30% within the country, and they are now dumping this surplus in Europe.

      This is when tariffs would be justified. It is quite easy to compare the characteristics of electric cars, so it could probably be quite simple to set reasonable tariffs on the different models to even out the price difference.

      I saw somewhere a table comparing the cost of manufacturing an electric car in Germany versus in China, and the difference was significant, so we probably will not be able to streamline ourselves to the same price, unless the cars build themselves, with their own energy, so we probably have to be better in some other way. A bit like in the 80s and 90s when the Japanese built cars with good quality at a good price, and Europe built cars with feeling, good materials, and status. 

      1. DJ

        Yes, one way out of the problem is to make Chinese goods become lower-class markers and low-status so that no one in the suburban neighborhood dares to have one in the driveway.

        1. MXT

          That is exactly the position they have held for a long time. Helps somewhat when everyone has discovered that they unfortunately delivered completely OK quality at a much lower price.

          I rather believe it is about explaining what it ultimately means to buy Chinese for Sweden’s and the EU’s economy and development. The train has already left when it comes to trying to portray it as cheap junk.

          1. DJ

            True, the low status cannot have to do with quality. It must become a moral issue, somewhat like waste sorting. It is high quality of life to just throw everything into one bin. Simple and good. But for moral reasons, Swedes are diligent with sorting and are happy to go the extra mile for it. 

  55. Pehr

    Fortunately, there is basically a consensus on the issue of support for Ukraine in our country.
    “Thousands of African troll accounts are used to influence voters in Sweden, reports SVT Nyheter.
    A collaboration between SVT, Trollrensics, and Alliance4europe shows how accounts based in, for example, Nigeria and Benin mass-follow selected Swedish users. In most cases, the users lean right, but in some cases, they also follow left-wing accounts.
    The influence campaign can control which political issues gain visibility and spread on social media, which in turn affects the debate, experts warn.
    Robert van der Noordaa at Trollrensics, who has analyzed similar networks for twelve years, says that it is likely Russian money financing the troll operations in Africa.
    – You can see them as mercenaries who have built up an enormous army of accounts, he says.”
    https://omni.se/a/9pdg6d

  56. Pehr

    Off topic The Iran war and the oil price.

    “No peace in sight. Iran tightens its grip on another of the world’s most important waterways. The oil price shoots up, again.
    What can Donald Trump do?
    “He basically has no chance of succeeding,” says Fredrik Meiton at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI).
    The Houthi movement has escalated the long-running war in Yemen. In a rapid offensive, its forces have taken the coastal city of Mocha on the Red Sea, and then islands in the strait outside.

    The Iran-allied forces have in practice established control over Bab al-Mandab – the strait that has long been a crucial shortcut for maritime trade between Europe and Asia.

    “This has been a risk since the war began. This has been a card that Iran has signaled it has up its sleeve, which they are now starting to play,” says Fredrik Meiton, who leads the Middle East and North Africa program at UI.

    Yemeni fishermen pass a commercial vessel in the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait on April 5 this year. At that time, Yemeni government forces were patrolling the strait, but now the Houthi movement has established control. Archive photo.
    Yemeni fishermen pass a commercial vessel in the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait on April 5 this year. At that time, Yemeni government forces were patrolling the strait, but now the Houthi movement has established control. Archive photo. Photo: Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP/TT
    According to the Houthi movement, a blockade in the strait applies only to Saudi Arabia, but the mere threat of attack has already caused traffic there to decrease sharply during the past years of war in the Middle East. The Houthis have fired on about a hundred commercial vessels and most shipping giants choose to take a detour around the whole of Africa.

    In the war against the USA this year, Iran’s perhaps foremost countermeasure has been to similarly stop traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, in and out of the Persian Gulf, and with that a large part of the world’s oil exports.

    “It has had a strongly deterrent effect and has made the USA agree to a number of concessions to try to reopen that strait,” says Fredrik Meiton.

    Middle East expert Fredrik Meiton.
    Middle East expert Fredrik Meiton. Photo: Swedish Institute of International Affairs
    He assesses that Iran has waited in order not to play all its cards at once.

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    “Now that they face escalated economic warfare from the USA’s side, they may have decided to escalate in turn by activating the Houthis.”

    The oil price has again risen above 100 dollars, which Meiton sees as a pain threshold that prompts US President Donald Trump to act.

    The question is how. According to media reports, Trump declined a Saudi request for help with air strikes. To physically stop a drone threat is likely to require ground forces. The latest approach – after peace talks have failed – has been that the USA is escalating “economic warfare.”

    Donald and Melania Trump.
    Donald and Melania Trump. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta (AP/TT)
    “I think Trump does this aware that it cannot deliver the results he wants,” says Fredrik Meiton, who assesses that the pressure on the president is growing sharply ahead of the US midterm elections this autumn.

    “He is not prepared to send in ground troops. He is also not prepared to compromise as required. Then he pretends to believe that economic warfare can do the job.”

    THE HOUTHI MOVEMENT

    The so-called Houthi movement – officially Ansar Allah (roughly God’s supporters) – has for a decade controlled a large part of war-torn Yemen.

    The Shia Islamist movement has its origins in the Zaidi clan al-Huthi, which has had a historical ruling role in northwestern Yemen. It grew and radicalized in opposition to Yemen’s participation in the US war on terror in the 2000s.

    In the wake of the Arab Spring, the movement went to war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, at a time when it was shaken by popular protests and South Yemeni separatists. The Houthis had support from Iran, while the government was supported by a Sunni coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in a conflict that is still ongoing. Houthi forces took power in the capital Sanaa in 2015.

    The Houthi movement is part of Iran’s regional coalition with Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah. During the recent years of war in the Middle East, they have fired on Israel and commercial vessels in the heavily trafficked waterways off Yemen.

    1. Pehr

      If Canada imposes export tariffs on oil and gas to the USA, the market will become even more chaotic, but I believe they will probably wait with that.

      1. DJ

        Yes, Canada has a strong card there, as I understand it, because the American refineries are built to blend in heavy Canadian crude oil together with the light shale oil from fracking. But for Canada, it’s probably a card you can only play once, then the US rebuilds the refinery and becomes more independent from Canada.

        1. Pehr

          Yes. Canada is said to be restrictive and thinking about the future and the long-term strategic consequences. After all, Krasnov only has two years left as POTUS and could be quite hamstrung in the midterm elections.
          If oil and gas are included in the tariff war between the USA and Canada, it would most likely lead to an immediate and sharp price shock upwards on the global and especially the American oil price (WTI). Since the oil price is already above the critical pain threshold of 100 dollars, this would worsen inflationary pressure and put enormous political pressure on the American administration.
          Rebuilding complex refineries to manage entirely without Canadian crude oil is a huge industrial project. It takes several years and costs billions of dollars. If tariffs hit overnight, the USA cannot easily replace the volumes internally.
          The USA would be forced to try to import heavy crude oil from other producers, namely Venezuela, but that is not done with a snap of the fingers either.

  57. MXT
    Good morning!
    • 1500 KWIA
    • 1 Tank
    • 10 AFVs
    • 85 Artillery
    • 6 MLRS
    • 11 Air defense systems
    • 1 Aircraft
    • 2045 UAVs
    • 13 UGVs
    • ‘638 Vehicles & fuel tanks (new record!)
    • 10 Special equipment
    Slava Ukraini

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