Active Conflicts & News Megathread September 01, 2025

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[u/Well-Sourced]

Russia continues to strike at energy infrastructure and so does Ukraine. Ukraine has reported on their strikes over the past weeks/months and continue to hit Russian radars which they say opens up future targets. Analysts are reporting that the strikes against Shahed drones infrastructure and production facilities has had an effect on the number of drones sent into Ukraine.

Russia launched 86 drones overnight against Ukraine, with 10 confirmed strikes | New Voice of Ukraine

Russia launched a new attack with 86 Shahed drones and various decoy UAVs, Ukraine’s Air Force said on Sept. 1. Launches were carried out from Kursk, Oryol, Bryansk, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia and Hvardiiske in Russian-occupied Crimea. Air defense was provided by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and unmanned systems, as well as mobile fire groups of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

According to preliminary data, as of 9 a.m. on Sept. 1, air defenses shot down or suppressed 76 enemy Shahed-type drones and decoy drones over northern, southern, eastern and central oblasts of the country. At the same time, 10 strikes by enemy attack drones were recorded at 6 locations.

Ukrainian power engineers come under Russian attack in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast | Ukrainian Pravda

DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, has reported that one of its service vehicles was struck by a Russian drone in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on 29 August during emergency repair works in a frontline area.

Drones attacked a power substation in the city of Kropotkin in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, a fire broke out at the site, Astra Telegram channel wrote on Sept. 1. Blackouts were reported in the area. | New Voice of Ukraine

Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency has confirmed its fighters struck two Russian Mi-8 helicopters and a tugboat in temporarily occupied Crimea. Media reports had surfaced earlier with similar information, HUR said in a statement on Sept. 1. | New Voice of Ukraine

The strike on the Russian airbase in Hvardiiske was carried out by members of the elite HUR unit Prymari. The estimated value of the disabled helicopters is between $20-$30 million. In addition, HUR forces attacked the BUK-2190 tug in Sevastopol Bay.

Ukraine destroys irreplaceable Soviet radio telescope in Crimea, opening path to more operations | EuroMaidanPress

The Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense continues to demonstrate its strength, UNIAN reports. In temporarily occupied Crimea, several key Russian targets have been destroyed, including the RT-70 radio telescope, in a latest strike. “The radio telescope is truly unique. It was built during Soviet times to monitor satellite constellations. It is genuinely one-of-a-kind,” emphasizes Ukrainian Navy Spokesperson Captain 3rd Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk.

Pletenchuk noted that in Crimea, the enemy deployed a dense network of air defense systems to protect the Crimean Bridge and the peninsula’s military infrastructure. The layered air defense system also covers Novorossiysk, where the Black Sea Fleet’s missile carriers are based. “Clearing a path to other Russian targets begins with the air defenses,” he stresses.

Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Shahed Drone Sites Cut Attacks by a Third | Kyiv Post

Ukrainian forces have carried out a series of strikes on Russian factories and storage sites producing Shahed kamikaze drones, sharply reducing the number of drone attacks on Ukraine. According to Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi, between July and August, Ukraine’s military and security services hit multiple Russian facilities involved in making, storing, and transporting these drones. As a result, the number of Shahed launches fell from 6,303 in July to 4,132 in August – about a one-third drop. Analysts say these numbers show that Ukraine’s strikes are working.

Experts, cited by the outlet, say Russia tends to launch drones in waves. After big attacks, they usually wait three to four days to accumulate drones before launching another round. In July, this buildup involved launching 80–200 drones over three days, followed by a record-breaking massive attack of 728 drones on July 9. In August, the accumulation strategy continued but on a smaller scale, with the size of these “pools” of drones significantly reduced.

Several strikes stand out for their impact:

Izhevsk, July 1, 2025: Ukrainian forces hit the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant “Kupol,” a factory that makes military drones and air-defense systems like the Tor and Osa. Four workshops were destroyed, the roof of one building collapsed, and the plant had to stop all production. The strikes hit the areas where metal was processed, microchips soldered, and drones assembled.

Moscow Region, July 4, 2025: Ukrainian drones attacked a plant making warheads for Shaheds. The factory is part of Russia’s state corporation Rostec and is under international sanctions. The attack caused fire and heavy smoke.

Moscow Region, July 7, 2025: SBU drones struck the Krasnozavodsk Chemical Plant, which produces thermobaric explosives used in Shahed drones.

Astrakhan Region, Aug. 15, 2025: Ukraine hit the Olya seaport, used by Russia to receive military shipments from Iran. An Iranian ship carrying drone parts and ammunition was docked there at the time. Ukrainian forces sank the ship in the Caspian Sea, destroying its cargo and showing they can hit both Russian factories and foreign supply lines.

Tatarstan, Aug. 9–12, 2025: Ukrainian forces struck a large storage hub in Kzyl-Yul, which held finished Shahed drones and foreign components. Satellite images show at least six hits. The hub supplied parts to the Alabuga special economic zone, where drones are assembled. Analysts said the attacks destroyed large reserves of ready-to-use drones.

The strikes have forced Russia to slow down its attacks. Between June and August, Russian forces launched 11,741 Shahed drones at Ukraine, but the number dropped by a third in August alone. Analysts say hitting factories and storage sites makes it harder for Russia to stockpile drones and sustain large attacks.

Russia has tried to compensate by building two new drone launch sites – one in Navlya, Bryansk region, and another in Tsymbulovo, Oryol region. Authorities have also recruited young workers in Tatarstan to help expand drone production.

[u/IntroductionNeat2746 → u/Well-Sourced]

Ukrainian forces sank the ship in the Caspian Sea, destroying its cargo and showing they can hit both Russian factories and foreign supply lines.

I'm reasonably confident that Trump could force Iran to stop selling shaheds to Russia with literally one phone call.

If he gives the Iranians and ultimatum, would they put their factories on the line for Putin, knowing full well that the US can attack those factories at will?

[u/throwdemawaaay → u/IntroductionNeat2746]

Russia has domestic Shahed production.

[u/IntroductionNeat2746 → u/throwdemawaaay]

I never denied that?

[u/Tamer_ → u/IntroductionNeat2746]

The point you seem to be missing is that Iran is unlikely selling Shaheds to Russia.