Information on current Russian losses due to sanctions as of 09.08.2026.
1. Defense forces destroyed the Russian EW complex “Volna Kupol Garant” in Gelendzhik.
– Ukrainian defense forces targeted the Russian electronic warfare complex “Volna Kupol Garant” at military unit No. 2156 in Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai.
– “Volna Kupol Garant” is a specialized Russian EW complex designed to suppress Starlink satellite communications. It creates powerful directed radio interference, trying to prevent the satellite from receiving signals from ground terminals.
– According to open sources, the complex can cover an area of about 20 sq. km. This is the third recorded destruction of such a complex in open sources. Previously, two “Volna Kupol Garant” were reported hit.
– Russia uses these systems to combat Starlink—one of the key means of satellite communication providing the Ukrainian forces with data transmission and drone control.
2. Electronics prices in Russia are set to rise in the fall due to the fuel crisis and warehouse strikes.
– In Russia, a new surge in electronics prices is expected this fall. Causes include fuel shortages, increased logistics costs, and strikes on large Wildberries warehouse complexes forcing retailers to reorganize deliveries.
– According to market participants, due to the fuel shortage, the delivery cost of electronics in Russia’s regions has already risen by about 10%, and transport times have doubled—from one to two weeks. Simultaneously, air and sea freight costs are increasing. Ultimately, these expenses will be passed on to buyers, and the range of equipment may decrease.
– Prices for electronics are expected to rise by 5–7% as early as September. Additional pressure is created by attacks on Wildberries’ logistics infrastructure.
– Due to damage to large warehouses, retailers are forced to move goods to smaller storage facilities and directly to stores, increasing storage and transport costs. Following the strikes, certain products on Wildberries have already increased by 10–30% in a few days. Ozon has also started raising prices.
– The fuel crisis and attacks on Russian logistics are increasingly affecting end consumers, provoking increases in the cost of imported goods and reducing their availability.
3. Russia is increasing activity near the shores of Great Britain.
– Russia has increased the activity of its naval fleet near the United Kingdom, prompting London to enhance surveillance of Russian ships and the “shadow fleet.” In July, the number of operations by the British Navy to track Russian vessels rose by 25% compared to July 2025. Russian military ships repeatedly passed through the English Channel and the North Sea.
– To monitor the Russian frigates “Neustrashimyy” and “Admiral Grigorovich,” which are accompanying “shadow fleet” tankers, the British Navy utilized patrol ships HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey, and HMS Severn, as well as Wildcat helicopters and Merlin aircraft.
– According to the UK Ministry of Defense, in the year leading up to March 2026, British military vessels were activated 116 times to escort or monitor Russian ships.
– Overall, they escorted 61 Russian military ships and 28 commercial vessels in British waters. Russian fleet activity near the UK has increased by 30% over the past two years.
– Meanwhile, Moscow is forced to divert military ships to guard the “shadow fleet” tankers, which the UK Ministry of Defense assesses as using valuable military resources for the constant escort of commercial cargoes.
4. The authoritarian alliance of Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea is growing stronger.
– The rapprochement of Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea following the onset of the full-scale war against Ukraine has accelerated and is forming an increasingly close network of mutual military and economic support. China has become Moscow’s main economic partner, helping to bypass Western restrictions and supplying technologies.
– Iran has supplied Russia with strike drones, and North Korea with ammunition, missiles, and military personnel.
– Simultaneously, Russia is expanding support for its partners. Moscow provides Iran with intelligence and military technologies, aids Pyongyang in modernizing its military industry, and shields it from international sanctions.
– China gains access to Russian military technologies, including in the areas of air defense and anti-submarine warfare. Russia’s war against Ukraine has become a catalyst for forming a coalition of regimes united in opposition to the US and Western alliances.
– For Moscow, this means increased dependence on Beijing, Tehran, and Pyongyang.
– Russia is increasingly drawn into a broader confrontation with the West, and its war against Ukraine becomes one of the key elements of the global standoff between authoritarian regimes and the US and its allies.
5. Sinopec has increased purchases of Russian oil, taking advantage of its low price.
– The Chinese state oil corporation Sinopec has increased its purchases of Russian oil from the Far East, offsetting the reduction in supplies from the Middle East.
– From July to September, Sinopec contracted 30-40 shipments of Russian ESPO oil, equivalent to approximately 241,000-320,000 barrels per day. This may account for up to 6% of the company’s refining capacity. In July, Sinopec purchased about 7.4 million barrels of ESPO, most of which were delivered to the port of Rizhao in Shandong Province. The company contracted at least 10 batches for August and September.
– The main reason for the increase in purchases was the lower price of Russian oil compared to alternative grades from Brazil and West Africa.
– This allows the Chinese refinery to maintain processing and achieve higher margins from the export of petroleum products.
– Russia continues to hold a part of the Chinese market primarily due to significant price discounts, which reduce Moscow’s earnings from oil exports.
