Russia Goes Oreshnik Again

I don’t know if this is Russia’s promised retaliation for the failed 91-drone attack on December 28, 2025, but the Oreshnik was unleashed for the first time since its debut in 2024, and with devastating effect. Preliminary reports state that the Oreshnik hit the Bilche-Volitsko-Uhersky underground gas storage facility, which has a storage capacity of 17.05 billion cubic meters, which is more than 50% of the total capacity of all storage facilities in Ukraine.

Lvov deputy Igor Zinkevich reported that in the Lvov region, the stoves in the kitchen are barely burning, the boilers have gone out and won’t light up – there’s no gas pressure.

Here is just one video showing the unique lightning bolt strike first seen in 2024 when Russia hit the Pivdenmash/Yuzhmash missile plant (also known historically as Plant 586) in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in November 2024:

Power substations in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia also were hit on the night of the 8th. Both cities are now completely disconnected from the power supply. And let’s not forget Kiev:

Large-scale missile-drone strikes on the energy infrastructure in Kiev have taken place, resulting in damage to 3 x Power Plants: TPP-4, TPP-5, and TPP-6.

Acc to local monitoring channels, up to 12 Ballistic Missiles, 25 x Caliber Cruise Missilies and around 200 x Drones took part in the attacks

After a wave of missile attacks, Kyiv is experiencing serious problems with electricity, water supply, and heating. There are communication outages. Problems on the railway have also begun, but they were already observed yesterday, they have just worsened now.

Back in Moscow, earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a scorching statement about the US assault on the Russian-flaged ship, Marinera. It is comprehensive and minces no words in decrying what constitutes an act of war against Russia:

The Russian Foreign Ministry expresses serious concern over the illegal military action carried out by the US armed forces against the oil tanker Mariner on January 7.

The ship “Marinera”, which received a temporary permit to sail under the Russian flag in accordance with international law and Russian legislation on December 24, was making a peaceful passage in the international waters of the North Atlantic, heading towards one of the Russian ports. The American authorities have repeatedly received reliable information about the Russian ownership of the ship and its civilian, peaceful status, including at the official level through the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There could be no doubt about this, and there was no reason to speculate about the tanker’s alleged “flagless” or “false flag” sailing.

International maritime law clearly provides for the exclusive jurisdiction of the flag state over vessels on the high seas. The stoppage and inspection of a vessel on the high seas is only possible under a closed list of grounds, such as piracy or the slave trade, which are clearly not applicable to the Mariner. In all other cases, such actions are only permitted with the consent of the flag state, in this case, Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia not only did not give such consent, but, on the contrary, expressed an official protest to the American authorities regarding the pursuit of the Mariner by the U.S. Coast Guard over the previous few weeks, demanding an immediate end to the pursuit and the withdrawal of the unlawful demands made to the captain of the Russian vessel.

Under these circumstances, the landing of American troops on a civilian ship on the high seas and its actual seizure, as well as the capture of the crew, cannot be interpreted as anything other than a gross violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international maritime law, as well as the freedom of navigation. This constitutes a significant infringement of the shipowner’s legitimate rights and interests. The lives and health of the crew members of the Mariner, who are citizens of several countries, are now at risk. We categorically reject the threats of legal prosecution issued by the American authorities under absurd pretexts. By carrying out an unsafe pursuit and then an armed seizure of an oil tanker in difficult weather conditions, the U.S. military apparently disregarded the risk of causing significant damage to the environmental safety of the North Atlantic.

We consider the American side’s references to its national “sanctions legislation” to be invalid. The unilateral restrictive measures imposed by the United States, as well as by other Western countries, are illegitimate and cannot serve as a justification for attempts to establish jurisdiction or, even more so, to seize ships on the high seas. It is particularly cynical for some U.S. officials to suggest that the seizure of the Mariner is part of a broader strategy to establish Washington’s unrestricted control over Venezuela’s natural resources. We strongly reject such neo-colonial tendencies.

Along with the U.S. administration’s disregard for the generally accepted “rules of the game” in the field of international maritime navigation, Washington’s willingness to generate acute international crises, including in relation to the already heavily strained Russian-American relations of recent years, is a cause for concern and regret. The incident involving the Mariner may only lead to further escalation of military and political tensions in the Euro-Atlantic region, as well as a significant decrease in the “threshold for the use of force” against peaceful navigation. Inspired by Washington’s dangerous and irresponsible example, some other countries and organizations may also consider it appropriate to use similar methods. The authorities of the United Kingdom, which has a long history of maritime piracy, are particularly predatory in their intentions. London has already reported its participation in the US military action in the North Atlantic.

We call on Washington to return to compliance with the fundamental norms and principles of international maritime navigation and immediately stop its illegal actions against the Marinera and other vessels carrying out legitimate activities on the high seas. We reiterate our demand that the American side ensure humane and dignified treatment of the Russian citizens on board the tanker, strictly respect their rights and interests, and not impede their return to their homeland as soon as possible.

By the way, the crew of the Marinera consists of two Russians, eight Georgians and 20 Ukrainians. US Attorney General Pam Bondi added fuel to this potential conflagration when she announced on Thursday that the crew members were “under full investigation” for failing to obey U.S. Coast Guard orders and that “criminal charges will be pursued against all culpable actors.”

I don’t know who told Trump that seizing a Russian-flagged ship was a good idea, but the action is not just pointless and stupid… It is dangerous. If you’re sitting in Moscow and reflecting on the actions of the United States since December 28 — i.e., the failed drone attack on Putin’s residence, the illegal abduction of Venezuelan President Maduro, Trump’s threats to attack Colombia and Greenland, and yesterday’s piracy of a Russian ship — you are likely to conclude that Trump is not serious about normalizing relations with Russia and that he is looking for a confrontation. It is foolish to poke a cranky bear because you are only going to further provoke the animal and incite him to eat you.

Garland Nixon and I discussed the latest developments in Venezuela and Ukraine: