Strike on Volgograd oil refinery and Ukrainian counteroffensive in Donetsk region - Thursday brief
RBC-Ukraine collage
Ukrainian defenders attacked the Volgograd oil refinery. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Defense Forces are conducting a counteroffensive operation near Dobropillia and in the Pokrovsk area of the Donetsk region.
Read more about what happened on Thursday, September 18.
Ukraine's Special Operations Forces strike Russian Volgograd oil refinery and halt operations
On the night of September 18, 2025, units of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) struck the Volgograd oil refinery in Russia, halting its operations.
The refinery is the largest producer of fuel and lubricants in Russia’s Southern Federal District, processing 15.7 million tons of oil annually, which accounts for 5.6% of Russia’s total refining capacity.
Zelenskyy reports on Ukrainian Armed Forces’ counteroffensive in Donetsk region
Ukraine’s Defense Forces are conducting a counteroffensive operation near Dobropillia and in the Pokrovsk area of the Donetsk region. A total of 160 square kilometers of territory has been liberated, and Russian losses have exceeded one thousand troops.
Sabotage in rear: 18 Russian officers dead after fire in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region
In the Zaporizhzhia region, 18 Russian officers were eliminated as a result of sabotage after their command post was set on fire.
On August 30, sabotage occurred near the village of Voskresenka. Unknown individuals set fire to grass near the command post of Russia’s 35th Army. The blaze spread to the facilities and bunkers of the command post. Due to heavy smoke and carbon monoxide poisoning, 18 Russian officers died.
Trump says Putin let him down in resolving war in Ukraine
"The one that I thought would be easiest would be because of my relationship with President Putin, but he’s let me down, he’s really let me down. It was going to be Russia and Ukraine. But we’ll see how that turns out," the US President said.
First US weapons under PURL program have already arrived in Ukraine - NATO
Within the framework of the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program, four weapon packages have already been funded. Two are already on their way to Ukraine, according to a RBC-Ukraine source.
In response to a request from RBC-Ukraine, a NATO representative said that four packages have already been funded.
