RSnake Report 20260830

New Ukrainian shortages, shortages in Iran, etc.

August 30, 2026

Skip to the Articles

Geopolitics
Cybersecurity
Technology
Business

Hello, and thanks for reading! Been a bit of a rough week, ending with a slight injury, leading to what I believe was a minor concussion, due to a broken tree swing. Woof! If man were meant to fly, he would have been given wings, it seems. Either that or it's the Universe's way of telling me I need to lose some weight. 🤣 Either way, I am having a bit of brain fog, but other than that and a bruised tailbone, I think I'll survive. Be careful with those flimsy nylon straps that are "700 lb rated". That may be true in a vacuum, but when exposed to the elements, it can't even hold up one adult male. I'm honestly glad it happened to me and not anyone else. No bueno!

In other news, Jeremiah Grossman is pushing out some new reporting via a webinar on Tuesday that will disprove the thesis that financial adversaries (as opposed to nation-states) are speeding up due to LLMs. This should be interesting because it flies in the face of the bulk of reporting out there by enormous groups of security researchers and the frontier model companies who have a strong vested interest in scaring people. Frankly, they guessed, and they guessed wrong. Not to say they won't speed up eventually, but there is no current evidence of an acceleration in exploitation leading to any measurable losses using CVEs. Feel free to join if that's a topic you'd like to learn more about.

In Russia/Ukraine News, it's not been a great summer for Ukraine, despite many successes in late spring and early summer. This is largely because Russia has been doing the same thing Ukraine has... hitting logistics. But before I get into that, let's check in on what's happening on the ground in Russia.

Russia’s police ministry faces a 22 percent officer shortage equal to an estimated 212,000 personnel. Officials are turning to returning veterans for immediate relief after the shortage left basic crime control understaffed. Of course, they will naturally turn to veterans upon their return, but there have already been massive issues with attempting to reintegrate them because the conditions on the front are so horrific. If they don't join the police force, or get back into manual labor from whence many of them came, they will likely join criminal gangs, leading to a pretty unstable and corrupt Russia, even compared to today. Speaking of police, the Russian police joined others lining up at gas stations amid an ongoing fuel shortage. So not even the emergency services are spared.

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate reported a shortage of aviation fuel affecting Russian military aviation, with Russia purchasing Jet A-1 fuel from South Korea and Egypt, including 11,000 tons delivered to Vladivostok and 59,000 tons to St. Petersburg by tankers from specific companies.

Russian road accident data showed a statistically significant correlation with the fuel shortage as Russians cut car travel in July, among the cohort that travels longer distances. That is a pretty telling stat that will mean that many rural destination spots, and the economies that live upon any kind of inter-oblast tourism, are likely to contract heavily, leading to layoffs, less income, etc. Inserted media

Of course, Ukraine has not been slowing down its strikes on Russian supply and logistics hubs. Ukrainian drones struck a Wildberries distribution center in Kotovsk and set more than 100,000 square meters on fire. The governor confirmed the attack on the Tambov-region hub, and a separate strike hit the Ozon logistics facility that belongs to Putin. This is as much a way to get the population to understand how bad this is, as it is to make resupplying military equipment like body armor less plausible since that is one of the major sources of supply. BLYSKAVKA

Also, Ukrainian strikes set fire to DNS and Ozon warehouses in Russia's Rostov region. So these attacks are definitely still occurring, and they are having an effect for sure.

The Ozon platform sold military goods worth 25 billion rubles between August 2025 and July 2026. The platform also sold 157,700 bulletproof vests and 350,000 night-vision and thermal sights during the same period. That's a lot less war material hitting the front, or a lot slower anyway. Apparently, Putin also has a silent interest in Ozon, or at least that is a working theory, so this personally hits his pocketbook. Though somehow I think he'll live just fine if all of Ozon's warehouses burn. So not as big a hit to him as we might hope. Stanimir Dobrev

Ukrainian drones also struck the Syzran and Ilsky oil refineries too. That's a bigger deal with regard to ensuring that Russia is required to buy refined gas from other countries or face an even greater shortfall. Woofers

Ukrainian deep-strike units hit the Surgutneftegas Kirishi KINEF refinery in Leningrad Oblast on 29–30 August using FP-1 drones. The facility processes about 20 million tons per year, representing 6–7 percent of Russia's refining capacity and serving as the only major refinery in the northwest.

The Kstovo refinery sustained heavy burning in multiple places after drone strikes. The video showed the extent of the damage at the facility. The Kstovo refinery is burning heavily in multiple places following drone strikes.

Latest price data confirms that gasoline shortages in Russia are worsening, but not at the same rate, while the diesel situation is only slightly more stable. Janis Kluge

A Russian lieutenant colonel and military pilot was killed along with his wife when a car exploded in St. Petersburg. These assassinations do seem to keep occurring, which means that Ukraine definitely has special operations personnel working deep in Russia. восхищённый болгарин™

Russian security forces raided a music festival in the Leningrad region near the Finnish border, detaining over 100 participants and organizers for songs in support of Ukraine and calls for regime change, with posters bearing Ukrainian symbols and drones confiscated. The event had been held since 2023, with the location shared 24 hours in advance, and footage showed participants lying face down on the ground during detention while some were forced to speak on camera about alleged drug use. I expect this group to be forced onto the front lines any minute now.

Now for a name I have not heard in a very long time: the band Pussy Riot. The FSB allegedly forced ex-Pussy Riot member Rita Flores to spy on Russian activists for three years, threatening to jail her over posts about Russian killings in Bucha and to hurt her family, and in 2025 directed her to lure a fellow member to Serbia for abduction and killing. She contacted a lawyer and left the country before telling her story. I'm not sure how they handled getting the family out, or even if they did, but it does raise the question of why she feels safe to discuss it now.

Armenia, for their part, is prepared to take in fleeing Russians if their government launches a new wave of mobilization, according to Armenian Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan. I suppose they are considering the idea that Russians may flee en masse, and whether they should accept them or not. I am not sure whether that is a good idea, because internal protests may be necessary to put pressure on Putin's regime. If the people aren't there to sow discontent, this war may never end. That said, if they only accept families with eligible military aged men, that may degrade the ability to re-stock the armed forces. Novaya Gazeta Europe

CIA Director Ratcliffe visited Kyiv to discuss Russia’s plans for testing NATO after intensified sabotage and drone incursions. I am getting more convinced that this was also related to rumors that Russia is considering a larger-scale incursion into NATO territories. He would likely take such a threat very seriously and likely give them a lot of reasons why such a move would be extremely unwise. Giorgi Revishvili

A Russian resistance group, Black Spark, received the blueprints for two Russian interceptor designs intended to hunt Ukrainian drones, one of which is a mortar-launched swept-wing drone capable of 300 km/h. The files also indicate prior collaboration between NIK and Boeing as well as surveillance of European firms. Euromaidan Press

Black Spark obtained technology about secret Russian UAVs from the database of NIK LLC. A few weeks ago, one of their members passed on valuable documents from the database of NIK LLC. After analyzing the data received, they claimed to have gained access to many of the company's cutting-edge developments: The Lancet, Condor, and Harpy drones; Zontik and Orion; a drone-interceptor fighter; and the MiG-29 SMT, Il-103, and Il-96 aircraft. Black Spark

Russia has introduced the Geran-5 jet-powered Shahed variant that reaches roughly 600 km/h and cruises at 5–6 km altitude, outpacing most Ukrainian propeller-driven interceptors, which are limited to 310–365 km/h. Kyiv has received an initial batch of Alexa Spatium jet interceptors, though their exact performance remains undisclosed. Ukrainian forces continue to adapt tactics and equipment, including STING systems, to counter the faster threat. HUR reports that monthly Russian output of Geran-4 and Geran-5 models now exceeds 3,000 units. EurAsian Times

Over half of the Shaheds now reaching Ukrainian airspace are jet-powered variants, and Ukrainian units continue to down them with improved STINGs. I have seen a video of the Ukrainian STING interceptors hitting jet-powered Gerans, so it is possible if they are flying low enough and/or slow enough in the case of earlier versions, but this is feeling more like a return to conventional warfare to a degree where we are back to cruise missiles and supersonic interceptor rockets. Not that smaller FPV drones don't have a place, but in terms of striking deep logistics at distances greater than 1000km, they're not the right tool for the job. Lew Anno Support#USA#NATO#Ukraine 24/2-22

Lew Anno Support#USA#NATO#Ukraine 24/2-22

Ukrainian firm Dark River Group has unveiled the APUS interceptor drone intended to destroy enemy attack and reconnaissance UAVs. Developers position it as an equivalent to the U.S. AS3 Surveyor from the Merops system and aim to match its functionality by year-end. APUS is said to reach about 300 km/h with up to 60 minutes of endurance.

Russia launched over 2,500 jet-powered Shahed drones at Ukraine in August, up from 1,500 in July, according to presidential technology advisor Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov. Russia launched over 2,500 jet-powered Shahed drones in August. Moscow is deploying the high-speed drones straight from factories.

Russian strikes destroyed major Ukrainian retail warehouses and distribution centers, leaving empty shelves in some supermarkets. Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi stated that roughly 90 percent of supermarket-chain food logistics capacity has been lost, prompting ATB to limit purchases of certain staples to six units per customer. So, as I said, Russia is doing the same thing that Ukraine is, and hitting logistics hubs. There is a lack of bread, potatoes, sunflower oil, certain types of poultry, and frozen ready-made meals. It's not that the people will starve necessarily, but it does mean that costs will skyrocket as distribution takes on a more antiquated approach of small-batch deliveries. With fewer warehouses, more expensive straight-off-the-truck deliveries, longer routes, and potentially fewer products on supermarket shelves. The pressure is already visible as recent attacks have contributed to temporary shortages of fresh produce, milk, and sugar in Kyiv. This will not help morale for the war effort.

Another example of a loss affecting logistics in Ukraine was a meat factory. A Banderol strike at a meat products factory in Kamyanske, Dnipropetrovsk region. That won't help with access to certain foods in the region. MAKS 26

There was footage of a powerful explosion at the Ukrainian ammunition depot located in the settlement of Myla in Kyiv Oblast that was hit by the Russians on Friday night. A massive detonation at a Ukrainian ammunition depot followed Russian strikes. Judging by the visuals of the blasts, it appears that it was a storage facility for surface-to-air missiles. Additional footage of a powerful explosion at the Ukrainian ammunition depot was released after the Friday night strikes. Status-6 (War & Military News)

Ukraine’s TENETA company has fielded the MITLA-1 net launcher that weighs 365 grams and deploys a 3.5-meter net in 0.2 seconds. The palm-sized device reaches 25 meters, functions in electronic-warfare zones, and operates in extreme heat or cold. Now, this could easily set off sensitive impact fuzes and still cause injury, and it doesn't stop the drone; it only fouls the propellers, so if it still has inertia and it's coming right at you, it won't help much at that range. マキシマムザおでん

I saw a cool little video of an adapted Mi-8 helicopter that now carries potentially eight anti-aircraft FPV drones. It's a clever drone delivery platform, that allows it to leverage the current state of the art drones while not wasting their battery to get them closer to the target. Inserted media

Speaking of anti-aircraft, a TU-95MS strategic bomber was struck at the Engels-2 airfield. The incident occurred overnight. A TU-95MS strategic bomber was hit at Engels-2 airfield. It's been a while since Engels-2 was hit, so that was interesting to see. There were hundreds of these strategic bombers built, but only around 35 of this exact make of the MS variant designed to launch cruise missiles. MAKS 26

In something that feels a little like straight out of Terminator... a Ukrainian Droid TW-12.7 ground drone entered a Russian bunker and fired its M2 Browning heavy machine gun, killing 20 soldiers. The 44th Separate Mechanized Brigade conducted the attack.

Russia is placing a Starlink jammer into serial production. The system itself becomes a significant target, requiring high power across the 14–14.5 GHz band to disrupt multiple concurrent uplink channels. The jammer is mounted on a trailer and equipped with a cluster of high-gain antennas that cover roughly 20 km² per set and cost more than $1 million each. Its large size, heat output, and detectable emissions limit its placement, as close-in units are quickly destroyed and rear-area units compete with drones that operate on inertial, optical, or SATNAV guidance. Ukrainian hunter-killer UAVs are expected to use heat and RF signatures as targeting cues once the systems are fielded. So while this will cause a bit of minor inconvenience, it will also be eliminated fairly quickly, unless they can figure out a way to keep it on the move and only use it when they sense a Starlink in use.

The Dnipropetrovsk regional authorities delivered five robotic turret complexes to a unit defending the skies over the region. Two systems were mounted on vehicles, and each carries a large-caliber machine gun that can detect drones with cameras, track targets, and compute trajectories before the operator confirms a hit. These might actually make a bit of a difference, because they don't require a human to aim them, which is always going to improve accuracy with fast-moving drones.

In European News, Germany is considering investing in Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent to bolster European security. Officials in Berlin are discussing ways they can help strengthen the European nuclear umbrella amid growing concerns over the American military withdrawal from the continent. Policymakers are waking up each morning and asking themselves what the hell the Americans are going to do tomorrow, a diplomatic source in Germany said. There are discussions over whether German industry could help assist with the manufacturing or servicing of Britain’s nuclear submarines and their missiles. The possibility of German firms contributing to uranium enrichment for future warheads is also being considered. A third idea to provide conventional military support, such as ground-based air defense at the submarine base in Faslane, Scotland, is also on the table. These discussions are also happening at a time when US intelligence is issuing warnings that Russia could be preparing to militarily test NATO.

Britain will declassify and share information on the British components of the long-range SCALP cruise missile, allowing France and Ukraine to move forward with plans for local assembly in Ukraine. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to announce the decision during his visit to Kyiv. It does have some advantages in being able to ship rather large munitions in smaller components and just have the assembly done near the front, where it doesn't show up as easily as huge equipment in the back of large trucks. Maria Drutska

EU’s von der Leyen stated that the trade deficit with China has now reached nearly €1 billion per day. China controls essential links in EU supply chains. Dependence exceeds 80 percent for many critical raw materials and 90 percent for some rare earths. These dependencies can be used as a means of pressure, and when dialogue is not enough, the EU must be ready to fully use its instruments. I, for one, am glad people are finally waking up to what China has done to our global supply chain. It would be one thing if China were a trustworthy partner, not hell-bent on expansionism, but that is proving to be anything but the case. Just look at all the new islands they have created around the Spratly Island chain. Clash Report

British company ZeroUSV has demonstrated the autonomous deployment of two smaller surface drones from its Oceanus12 unmanned surface vessel during trials in Plymouth, England. The 12-meter Oceanus12 deployed two smaller surface drones in what ZeroUSV described as a world-first demonstration of a single autonomous USV launching and coordinating multiple smaller maritime drones as part of one mission. The trial was conducted under a UK Defense Innovation-backed program led by ZeroUSV, together with Oshen and MarineAI. The C-Star is a lightweight surface drone powered by what looks like solar energy. During the demonstration, the drones were configured to collect acoustic data, while their modular design allows them to carry sensors for environmental monitoring, defense missions, and underwater infrastructure surveillance. MarineAI provided its Guardian autonomy software, which is designed to allow unmanned platforms to plan and execute missions with minimal operator input while coordinating multiple payloads. The Oceanus12 is designed as a modular platform capable of carrying various mission payloads. Following deployment, it can also monitor the location, status, and performance of the smaller drones, including in environments where communications are unreliable or subject to jamming.

In South East Asia News, U.S. officials say they have disrupted a China-linked hacking operation that broke into U.S. government networks and critical infrastructure. In an affidavit, the U.S. DOJ says Chinese hackers targeted and breached the DOJ, DOE, NIH, HHS, NASA, the Federal Reserve, and the Senate, selling access to Beijing's spy agency and military. This should give you some sense of how woefully underprepared the US is. Really. It's bad. And keep in mind, this is only what we uncovered. Imagine all that we don't know about!

South Korea unveiled a project with KT, SK Telecom, and Kakao to provide premium AI tools to the public for free, treating AI like a public utility. This could impact things a lot for the people there. It remains to be seen, and it's a nice testbed for what happens when everyone universally has access to AI tools. Meanwhile, in a poll of 25 different countries, Americans are the most anti-AI. Richard Hanania

A major flash-flood disaster hit Nepal's Rasuwa district near the border with Tibet and China after an event early Wednesday morning caused catastrophic flooding along the Trishuli and Bhotekoshi river systems. An earthquake struck the area at around 08:37 local time, apparently triggering an avalanche that then caused a sudden release of water and severe flash flooding. Hundreds have been killed, and many are missing. Authorities report that at least 19 bridges and around 40 kilometers of roads have been damaged, while multiple hydropower projects have also been affected. The important Rasuwagadhi border crossing with China has been closed, with reports that roads, bridges, and customs infrastructure were swept away. On the Chinese side, Chinese state media are reporting major casualties from a mudslide at a trade hub in Tibet, with President Xi Jinping ordering all-out search and rescue efforts and stronger monitoring to prevent secondary disasters. Nepal says it is coordinating with China as rescue operations continue. This Nepal/Tibet disaster might be the worst flood footage since Japan 2011. BLYSKAVKA

I have seen many reports that hundreds are missing, but one report had it at 160 people died and 761 remain missing after the flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border. Tourists from nearly 30 countries are among those unaccounted for. A separate mudslide at Gyirong Port on the China-Nepal border left 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries missing. The August 26 disaster occurred in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. My thoughts go out to the people and their families. Awful. But it gives you some sense of what it must have been like for the people of Pompeii who only had seconds to consider what was happening when the pyroclastic flows hit them.

In Africa, Huawei proposed building AI data centers for Egyptian military and government use that would include 1408 Ascend 950-series chips for training plus 600 more for inference clusters, with iFlytek providing vehicle and facial recognition tied to a national population database, and the U.S. State Department responded by approaching Nvidia, AMD and Microsoft about forming a competing consortium. It does seem weird that any Islamic countries would want to build anything in concert with the Chinese, given their stance on the Uyghur population.

The Sudanese Armed Forces conducted drone strikes on a suspected Rapid Support Forces convoy inside Chad near the Libyan and Sudanese borders, marking the first such action on Chadian soil during the civil war. The strikes occurred on August 21 near Mourdi, about 50 miles west of the Sudanese border and 100 miles south of the Libyan border, and reportedly damaged several vehicles in a 200-vehicle supply convoy traveling from al Kufra in southeastern Libya. The Sudanese Armed Forces and allied forces have stepped up efforts to disrupt Emirati-backed supply lines that transit through Chad. The Chadian government denounced the strikes, warned both Sudanese parties against border violations, and placed its military on high alert while reaffirming its right to defend territorial integrity. In a separate action, the Sudanese Armed Forces carried out drone strikes on a fuel depot belonging to the Rapid Support Forces in the border town of Adikong in West Darfur near the Chad border. Critical Threats

In Middle East News, Tribe members affiliated with the Ansar Allah Houthis posted a video of their gatherings. Some of the tribesmen are armed with what seems to be a rare M20A1B1 Super Bazooka Rocket Launcher and M79 Osa Anti-Tank Weapon. But this gave me, at least, some sense that a land-incursion would be met with stiff and well-armed resistance. Of course, the bulk of these were likely supplied by Iran.

Yemen's Houthi group said Monday that it had fired a ballistic missile at a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea off the port city of Yanbu, and claimed separate missile and drone attacks on Saudi military forces and a convoy near the border. The tanker, most likely Saudi-owned, was struck by a projectile off the Yanbu coast on the 24th of August. The strike caused a fire aboard the vessel. Meanwhile a Houthi ballistic missile struck a Saudi base in al-Wadiah, Yemen, producing a massive plume of smoke visible in footage Houthi ballistic missile struck Saudi base. Ansarallah Brigadier General Yahya Saree was scheduled to issue a statement minutes later.

USAID OIG has referred 100+ current or former UNRWA staff for participation in the October 7 terrorist attacks and/or affiliation with Hamas to the Department of State for suspension and/or debarment action UNRWA staff. Of those referred, three have recently been proposed for debarment. It's almost like people, like myself, have been saying that since October 7th. This group was highly infiltrated by Hamas.

I typically put Turkey in the European section, but today, I'm moving it into the Middle Eastern section because it will flow better - so excuse the movement here. Turkey's Erdogan continues to actively support violent Hamas terrorists in public settings, which could be a bit of public theatre, but I fear it may not be. Erdogan continues to undermine Turkey’s relationship within NATO and seems to want to start some sort of conflict with Israel in the process. That said, they have had mutual arms agreements in the past, so it's very hard to know if this is just politics or something more. Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez

The first HÜRJET destined for the Turkish Air Force has successfully completed its maiden flight after undergoing a series of ground and taxi tests. The milestone flight was conducted on August 30, coinciding with the 104th anniversary of Türkiye’s Victory Day. To me, this looks like a fairly bad thrust-to-weight ratio for a single-engine aircraft. But it also reminds me of the American N-102 Fang, which became the F-5, then the YF-17, and finally the F-18. So I am not super impressed by this demonstrator, but this platform can take them a very far distance if they continue iterating on it, like we did. International Defence Analysis

Fear of Türkiye is driving Greece toward Israel, according to former CIA officer John Kiriakou. He says Athens allows an increasingly permanent Israeli presence on its lands. This is coming at a time when Türkiye appears to be aligning itself more with Hamas, which is an odd thing for a NATO country to do for so many reasons. But it is an Islamic state, despite it all, so in that sense it does make sense. Hamas is a terrorist group that openly discusses genocide. Don't believe me?

Hamas commanders stated that their issue is not just Palestine but killing every non-Muslim and pursuing Jews and Christians worldwide until they convert to Islam or are killed Hamas commanders statement. The statement was released on 23 August 2026. When someone tells you who they really are, believe them. So why would Turkey support this? 🤔 Israel Heart

Turkish Army and Syrian engineers installed a second floating bridge across the Euphrates at Mayadin in Deir ez-Zor province. The crossing restores civilian and logistics traffic. A similar bridge was placed in Deir ez-Zor city in July 2026. But this gives both Syria and Turkey a nice path across the Euphrates. I am sure Israel is looking hard at that move.

Speaking of Syria, Marco Rubio announced that the United States formally rescinded Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. The action unlocks new potential for Syria’s economic revitalization and progress under the Trump Administration’s Middle East policy. Clash Report

Iranian President Pezeshkian criticized the conservative state broadcaster that censored him and other deal supporters while pushing a hardline line. He said he does not watch their television anymore because they are not creating unity in the country. Then Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the public on 28 August about the severity of Iran’s economic situation. The remarks followed warnings against discussing poor economic conditions. So which is it? How are things going there?

Well, widespread gasoline shortages affected Iranian cities including Tehran, Mashhad, and Kerman, with long queues at stations and some closures overnight gasoline shortages hit Iranian cities. A trial of sharply higher pricing in Kerman was suspended over fears of public backlash, prompting the government to consider daily supply caps, tighter vehicle quotas, or individual fuel rationing.

Iran’s currency keeps crashing, with the exchange rate at 2 million rials to the U.S. dollar. Iran’s Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati stated that simultaneous drops in oil revenues, tax income, and social security contributions have affected every part of the economy. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s official Telegram account instructed officials on August 28 to avoid statements highlighting the worsening conditions and acknowledged inflation, unemployment, and high prices. President Pezeshkian reiterated the severity of the situation in an August 28 address that linked the deterioration to the war, U.S. sanctions, and naval blockade. The regime arrested 30 alleged leaders of the December-January protests on August 28. The Iranian currency keeps crashing through the exchange rate of 2 million rials to the U.S. dollar, and Mojtaba Khamenei’s account instructed officials on August 28 to avoid statements highlighting the worsening conditions. The Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s official Telegram account instructed officials on August 28 to avoid making statements that highlight the worsening conditions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Nearly 1,500 commercial vessels have since transited under U.S. protection, carrying approximately 750 million barrels of crude to global markets 750 million barrels. In contrast, the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports has been so airtight that Iran has exported zero oil since it resumed in July. The US Joint Maritime Information Center has been publicly reporting these US-facilitated transits since 20 June US-facilitated transits. They do not clarify details such as inbound versus outbound, type of ship, or cargo for these facilitated transits.

At least fifteen ship-to-ship transfer sessions involving 25 million barrels of crude oil plus refined products occurred in the Gulf of Oman, with the oil originating from every country in the region except Iran fifteen ship-to-ship transfer sessions. The sessions were recorded on 25 August 2026. Each picture below shows two ships, which is how these transfers look as they are happening.

The seven-day average crude flows through the Strait of Hormuz rose to 7.6 million barrels per day seven-day average crude flows. Visible transits remained limited with only four documented outbounds since 22 August, while 11 VLCCs were added through ship-to-ship operations. LVision

Weekly crude oil transits through Hormuz reached 6.8 million barrels per day, including seven documented outbounds, three suspect movements, and seventeen ship-to-ship based transits. Hormuz crude oil transits. Current Hormuz-Yanbu-ADCOP flows stand at 64 percent of pre-war levels, creating a roughly 6 million barrel per day deficit, while Saudi Red Sea flows increased to about 2.7 million barrels per day in late August. So we aren't back exactly, largely because of the sanctions against Iran and the cost of insurance making transit much less lucrative in the short term. But this is already a pretty big rebound. LVision

Analysts are tracking daily departures from the US Navy blockade line to calculate traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. They subtract known volumes from Oman and Fujairah to isolate Hormuz traffic. Eight ships left the northern Fujairah cluster within twenty-four hours between 22 and 23 August. On 28 August, US forces cleared Iranian mines from the recognized shipping lanes using Navy divers, SEALs, and air power. CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper announced the mine-clearing operation as well. TankerTrackers.com, Inc.

For his part, Netanyahu went on TV and, amongst other things, stated that Israel did not destroy Islam and has no intention of doing so. The statement followed reports of ongoing regional operations. I think the goal here is to assuage any fear that Israel wants to destroy all muslims, therefore gathering regional cooperation against them, at a time when their anti-ballistic interceptor cache is running low, especially.

The Israeli Air Force bombed a weapons depot in Gaza City on 24 August 2026 Israeli Air Force bombed weapons depot. Palestinian media reported that the strike also hit a mosque and a desalination plant in the Sheik Radwan neighborhood.

Israeli artillery struck southern Lebanon on 29 August. Smoke and visible plumes rose over the targeted area. So much for having Syria do these missions. I do wonder what ever happened with that. Could it be due to the new friendship between at least northern Syria and Turkey? Mossad Commentary

In South of the Border, Colombia will receive three MQ-9A Reaper drones on loan from the United States and plans to buy a fourth with its own funds, marking the first armed long-endurance drone capability in the region. The agreement follows Colombia joining the US-led Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition as its 19th member under new President de la Espriella, who has reversed predecessor Petro's defense policies, and the country offered to host the coalition's coordination center.

Venezuela announced a historic agreement with the United States government, which will have a significant impact on the nation’s revival. This is pretty much what we thought would happen, but it's interesting to read the language that is coming from someone who, on record, hated Donald Trump and the United States. I think the pressure worked! Donald Trump announced a major oil deal with Venezuela, giving the US control over a project tied to more than 65 billion barrels of proven reserves with an American government stake of about 55 percent and development rights for 100 years, which is expected to attract nearly 100 billion dollars in private investment. Russian oil shipments from Novorossiysk to India fell 4.4-fold in the first three weeks of August while freight costs rose sharply, according to economic analyst Vyacheslav Shiryaev, who noted Venezuelan oil could replace Russian crude at Indian refineries. The problem is that this is not enough capacity to fill up US reserves, especially not in the near term, and it is a pretty difficult type of oil to refine, so it will require new refineries to be built. This is coming at a time when we are tariffing Canada who does supply a lot to the United States and this will not replace their crude at least not in the near term. Delcy Rodríguez

In North America News, President Trump appears to have confirmed an earlier post regarding potentially imminent capital gains tax cuts. The move would mark the first major federal capital gains tax cut since 2003, when the top long-term capital gains tax rate was reduced from 20% to 15%. But it has the benefit of being a hedge against inflation and could actually make investment in entrepreneurship a lot more lucrative, because you no longer have to worry about inflationary effects. In fact, inflation works for homeowners with fixed-rate interest loans because the loans are worth less to the bank as inflation grows. So the best tax position to be in would be a home with a loan and a company you're working on that will go up in value. Adam Kobeissi

California signed the Stop Nick Shirley Act into law. The bill shields immigration support service providers from civil penalties when they claim fear from video exposure of Medicaid-funded facilities, and it was co-sponsored by CHIRLA, which has received over eighty million dollars in taxpayer funds for immigrant services. California has officially signed the Stop Nick Shirley Act into law after the exposure of widespread fraud in immigrant communities across America. The memes though...

A divorce attorney confirms he has multiple male clients requesting to use their wives' public support of Lindsay Clancy in custody battles. She was accused of killing her children due to postpartum psychosis. The attorney stated that if a woman thinks it is acceptable to kill a child because of postpartum, she should lose all visitation rights. We'll see how this shakes out, but it just shows how dangerous social media and Internet posts are if you have to stand by your words. Fortunately, I have never advocated for murdering children, so hopefully I'll be okay if I'm ever hauled into court for something. 😂 Pro America Politics

Ransomware gang Qilin claimed responsibility for a hack of the ATF, which maintains a registry of more than one billion guns and gun owners, though it remains unclear what data was stolen. This is exactly what gun rights advocates have been warning about forever. If you create a registry, it can be used by our adversaries or by authoritarian regimes that eventually take over the United States to target gun owners. And now... here we are! 👎 Look, if you want to be big brother, you have to be able to secure the data you collect. The US government has proven, time and time again, that it cannot do that.

The U.S. Army has awarded Heaviside Industries a contract worth up to $99 million for its MOTH handheld spectrum analyzer. The indefinite-delivery contract runs through August 27, 2031, and covers procurement, fielding, upgrades, and maintenance. The device weighs less than 1 lb, including its battery, measures roughly the size of a large smartphone, and operates in temperatures from 14 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit. This feels like something you'd find at a hacker conference, and I am sure you wouldn't be shocked to know you can buy one yourself for $5k. Drone Wars

ICE arrested media personality and professional shit-talker Milo Yiannopoulos, who was apparently an illegal alien from the United Kingdom, at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on August 27 after he overstayed his visa. He had entered legally on May 14, 2019, through New York City, received a final order of removal on July 22 after failing to appear at an immigration hearing, and will remain in custody pending removal. I am surprised Trump didn't throw him a lifeline because he is a bit of a beloved personality on the right, despite being in a bi-racial gay relationship, because he is devoutly anti-Democrat. Homeland Security

Voltaic Marine's robotic boat proved it can carry and power a weapon system on its own, tucked away out of sight until called into action. The short video showed the turret moving around and swiveling up and down remotely. I could see this being deployed offshore indefinitely as coastal defense for sure, and it is relatively protected from the elements as well, which is a nice benefit. Dylan Malyasov |

In Tech News, ESET research identified a technique called GuardBreaker, used by the Russia-aligned UAC-0099, that deliberately triggers LLM safety mechanisms to interfere with AI-assisted malware analysis during operations against a victim in Ukraine. We have seen this kind of thing before, where it asks the LLM to produce illegal material, and it refuses and then can't report back whether it is malware or not. It is a clever anti-forensics technique that likely will be detected in other ways in the future. ESET Research

Sam Altman stated that AI adoption will move slower than the models themselves, with Azure reporting 43 percent growth last quarter and Microsoft's commercial backlog reaching 678 billion dollars. That is not a good sign for AI accelerationists who believe that AI is growing at an exponential rate. It's not that it's not growing; it's just that it's the wrong solution for almost everything it's being used for... at least so far. It's got a long way to go, and the work it is supposed to replace just isn't that easy to replace, it turns out.

Meanwhile, hyperscaler debt has doubled in nine months. Why would you want to be in debt on something that has a slower-than-expected adoption rate? It almost feels like Sam is trying to warn investors to cool it.

New Yorkers have begun reporting brands for failing to disclose the use of AI-generated people in advertisements under the state's synthetic performer disclosure law that went into effect in June. So, be very careful if your company is building an AI-generated avatar for your website or ads.

A U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division M2A4 Bradley IFV was observed carrying five Swarmbotics AI FireAnt anti-armor UGVs weighing around 27 kg each, a low-cost attritable robotic system under development for swarm operations including ISR, communications relay, EW, and anti-armor missions. These are pretty cool things to take with you - rolling mines of a kind. 笑脸男人

Investigators of the Hugging Face incident relied on AI tools to review more than a thousand long transcripts produced by agent teams that operated for multiple days. The main transcript analysis showed that AI agents communicated and reasoned in natural language and that their scale of activity remained below the level of entire companies. The investigation concluded that the difficulty of overseeing AI agents is growing faster than the improvement in oversight tools. However, honestly, this all looks like they use AI to analyze AI, so I take the whole report with a grain of salt. Ryan Greenblatt

Okay, on to the articles!

Geopolitics

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has been without off-site power for over a week and is currently dependent on emergency diesel generators. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warns that the plant is facing a significant risk of a potential meltdown as it struggles to maintain reactor cooling, having not generated electricity since September 2022. Efforts for a local ceasefire are underway to allow for necessary repairs to the electrical lines feeding the facility.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been relying on emergency diesel generators due to a lack of off-site power.
The facility's reactors require cooling to prevent a possible meltdown, and negotiations for a ceasefire are ongoing to facilitate repairs.

[RSnake: This is one of the main problems with these older nuclear platforms; they are so frail. One more reason to modernize and switch to thorium or another variant. Also a +1 to getting fusion reactors off the ground. Can't come too soon.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/29/ukrainian-nuclear-power-plant-without-external-power-for-over-a-week?traffic_source=rss

The United States has secured control over a significant portion of Venezuela's oil reserves through a deal with the Venezuelan government, which grants the U.S. majority control of 65 billion barrels of proven reserves, amounting to a fifth of Venezuela's total. This agreement is anticipated to double American oil reserves and help alleviate rising gas prices amid current geopolitical tensions, particularly with the ongoing conflict involving Iran, which has severely impacted global oil supplies.

The U.S. has announced a deal to control substantial Venezuelan oil reserves amidst rising global oil prices.
The agreement aims to significantly increase U.S. oil reserves and is framed as beneficial for both countries' economies.

[RSnake: Trump is claiming that Venezuela will be gifting the US enough oil to refill the US strategic reserve. We'll see if that turns out to be the case, but even still it will take quite a bit of time.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/29/whats-behind-the-us-deal-to-seize-control-of-venezuelan-oil-reserves?traffic_source=rss

Gaza has run out of cancer medicines amid ongoing Israeli military strikes that have damaged hospitals and medical facilities. The situation has worsened as an Israeli strike affected essential resources at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Gaza's healthcare system is facing a crisis due to lack of cancer medications.
Israeli strikes are causing significant damage to medical facilities in Gaza.

[RSnake: Awful situation. Hamas really has made life hell for those people. I think it's a mix of false hope, a lack of education, and strong-arming the population that keeps them in check.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/8/29/29-08-sv-gaza-hospitals-targetting-fm?traffic_source=rss

A WhatsApp group chat called 'Traders of Greater Europe' has facilitated the transfer of hundreds of millions of euros globally to fund organized crime and extremism, notably payments to the Islamic State group. The chat enabled cash transactions using the hawala system, allowing for anonymity and evasion of traditional banking scrutiny, with evidence of its involvement in various criminal activities across Europe, including people smuggling and drug trafficking.

The 'Traders of Greater Europe' group chat was used for transferring large sums of money, including payments to militant groups.
The hawala system used in these transactions allows cash transfers without electronic records, facilitating money laundering for various criminal enterprises.

[RSnake: I feel a sanction coming on!]

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgk57lg7566o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Ukraine is facing a critical shortage of air defense missiles as it prepares for potential increases in Russian missile strikes, particularly from Iskander ballistic missiles. As winter approaches, the country is exploring various options for interception, including domestic production of interceptors and attacks on missile production sites, but the challenges remain significant given the limited supply of existing defense systems and the high rate of fire from Russian forces.

Ukraine is short on air defense missiles needed to intercept Russian Iskander ballistic missiles.
The situation is exacerbated by the impending winter, which affects civilian safety and infrastructure.
Ukraine is developing its own missile systems and seeking to disrupt Russian missile production despite significant challenges.

[RSnake: You could write this article every month for the last few years, and it would still be accurate. I am surprised Ukraine hasn't invested heavily in this space. I'm also surprised that neither has Europe. Why is everyone still dependent upon the Patriot and the David's Sling? By now, there should be hundreds of competing low-cost options readily available. It's been years.]

Source: https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=423163

Cybersecurity

Microsoft Threat Intelligence has identified a new multi-stage cyber attack campaign known as TerminalFix, which targets organizations by using compromised websites to deliver malicious PowerShell commands. This sophisticated attack employs techniques such as DLL sideloading and steganography to establish a persistent network connection, providing attackers with adverse access to internal networks and sensitive data.

The TerminalFix campaign uses fake Cloudflare CAPTCHA overlays to trick users into executing malicious commands.
Attackers gain persistent access to networks through sophisticated techniques including reverse tunneling and extensive Active Directory reconnaissance.

[RSnake: Be really careful if anything asks you to copy something and then run a command. Seriously. It's super easy to accidentally think these are valid, but no normal site is going to ask you to do that.]

Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/?p=149220

McKesson, a major U.S. healthcare and pharmaceutical company, is investigating a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to its systems and the theft of approximately 284 million patient data records by the ShinyHunters extortion group. The attackers reportedly employed social engineering techniques to compromise multiple employee accounts, allowing for extensive data exfiltration over a short period. McKesson has disclosed the breach to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission but has not yet determined the full impact or the specifics of the compromised data.

McKesson's cybersecurity incident involved unauthorized access to sensitive patient data.
The ShinyHunters group used social engineering to compromise employee accounts and steal data.

[RSnake: Nasty, and the ShinyHunters are a pretty prolific group.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/mckesson-discloses-breach-after-shinyhunters-claims-patient-data-theft/

PaperCut has issued a second emergency security update to address two critical vulnerabilities in its print management software, which are currently being exploited in zero-day attacks. The vulnerabilities allow unauthenticated attackers to bypass authentication and execute remote code on affected servers, prompting PaperCut to urge all customers to apply the latest patch and restrict access to the web interfaces.

Two critical vulnerabilities in PaperCut software allow for remote code execution.
PaperCut has released an urgent security patch and advises customers to implement access restrictions.

[RSnake: If you happen to use PaperCut, please patch up.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/papercut-releases-second-emergency-patch-for-exploited-flaws/

A lawsuit alleges that the AI chatbot Grok, owned by Elon Musk's xAI, was trained using child sexual abuse material (CSAM), leading to the generation of more CSAM content. The lawsuit claims that Grok's operations facilitated the distribution and production of illegal content, prompting legal action against the company for not implementing necessary safeguards.

Grok is accused of being trained on CSAM, leading to the creation of additional abusive content.
A lawsuit seeks damages for victims whose images were allegedly used in the training of Grok.

[RSnake: It is incredibly likely that it was, because it is much more prevalent than people realize, and actually a bit difficult to detect programmatically. But I would put the chances of this having happened at nearly 100%. Not on purpose, obviously, but the Internet is a pretty gross place.]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000804488

A Chinese manufacturer, Shenzhen Zhibotong Electronics Co. Ltd. (ZBT), has been found to have implanted backdoors in routers sold globally. These backdoors allow external control of the devices and could lead to unauthorized access to user data. The issue raises significant concerns about the security of internet-connected devices worldwide, particularly those originating from certain manufacturers.

ZBT routers contain multiple backdoors, including one called EndlessDoors, which gives remote control access.
The affected devices have been widely distributed under various brand names, complicating the identification of compromised products.

[RSnake: If you use one of these ZBT routers, it is time to ditch it. Like immediately. Tell your friends if they have one.]

Source: https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/chinese-routers-sold-worldwide-backdoors

Technology

Tencent has released and open-sourced the Hy4 preview, a large language model with 770 billion parameters designed for productivity tasks across various fields such as coding, office work, and scientific research. The model boasts enhanced capabilities, optimized user experiences, and features an increased context window, providing a more effective tool for diverse professional applications.

Hy4 preview performs exceptionally well in coding, office productivity, and scientific research tasks.
The model autonomously optimizes its own inference infrastructure, improving throughput significantly.

[RSnake: More Chineseium models. Be very careful. Tencent is also involved in China's social credit system - their social credit scoring system. They are not to be trusted.]

Source: https://www.tencent.com/tencent-releases-and-open-sources-tencent-hy4-preview/

Samsung is advancing in-memory compute technology through its Processing-in-Memory (PIM) implementation with LPDDR5X chips. This development aims to enhance data processing speeds by allowing computations to occur within memory chips, thereby overcoming traditional bandwidth limitations associated with DRAM.

Samsung is integrating MAC units into LPDDR5X chips to enable in-memory computing.
The PIM architecture allows higher data processing speeds by utilizing internal bandwidth across multiple memory banks.

[RSnake: Interesting. That might speed things up instead of always having to head out of the RAM to the CPU/GPU and then back to RAM.]

Source: https://chipsandcheese.com/p/hot-chips-2026-samsungs-processing

BYD has rapidly expanded its 1,500kW charging network, opening its 10,000th station and targeting 20,000 by year's end, with a significant number of chargers being built in partnership with major oil and tech companies. The network serves a diverse range of electric vehicle users, including many who do not drive BYD cars, and plans are underway for the first 300 stations outside China to be established in the UK by the end of the year.

BYD has doubled its charging network in five months and plans continued expansion.
The network will include charging stations outside China, specifically in the UK, by the end of the year.

[RSnake: There is a lot of incentive for China to own the charging infrastructure. They get to dictate a lot of things if they control if your cars get to move or not.]

Source: https://thenextweb.com/news/byd-10000-flash-charging-stations-afir-europe-megawatt

Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) have become critical to the infrastructure of artificial intelligence, impacting the AI landscape and global tech competition, particularly between the U.S. and China. The company has seen substantial growth in value due to its role in supplying hardware essential for training neural networks, which are foundational for modern AI applications. As a key player in the industry, Nvidia's technology is at the center of strategic restrictions on exports to China, reflecting its importance in the ongoing tech rivalry.

Nvidia's GPUs are crucial for AI, serving as the backbone of many modern applications.
The company has experienced significant financial growth, indicating its central role in the tech infrastructure.
U.S. government restrictions on Nvidia's exports to China signify the geopolitical stakes associated with AI technology.

[RSnake: I had an interesting conversation about this the other day. Even if the frontier model providers charge 100x the cost of tokens to get them to what the real cost is, and it causes the whole utilization of their systems to crash and burn, Nvidia would still be safe for a while as companies switch to local models, which require lots of compute.]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000804538

NASA is set to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will provide unprecedented panoramic views of the universe and is expected to generate significant data to study phenomena such as dark energy, dark matter, and exoplanets. This new observatory, with its advanced capabilities, aims to explore various cosmic mysteries, including the origins of mysterious objects known as Light Red Dwarfs (LRDs) and the dynamic histories of nearby galaxies like Andromeda and Triangulum.

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launching soon, will enhance astronomical observations by covering vast areas of the sky.
The telescope will produce large volumes of data, enabling extensive research on dark matter, dark energy, and the evolution of galaxies.

[RSnake: Pretty wild looking space telescope. I'm excited to see what it will provide in terms of science beyond the photos.]
An illustration of a space telescope against a background of purple-tinted "deep sky" objects such as galaxies, nebulae, and the plane of the Milky Way
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasas-roman-space-telescope-will-rewrite-how-we-study-the-universe/

Business

Nvidia has agreed to acquire Hugging Face for $12.9 billion, significantly increasing its valuation from $4.5 billion just a few years prior. Hugging Face is known for its open-source AI models and is transitioning from being a model repository to a comprehensive platform that includes robotics and enterprise storage. This acquisition positions Nvidia to strengthen its cloud services and AI ecosystem while ensuring access to an extensive open-source model base.

Nvidia is buying Hugging Face for $12.9 billion, emphasizing the value of open-source AI models.
Hugging Face is evolving from an open-source model repository to a more integrated platform that includes robotics and enterprise services.

[RSnake: Wow, that is a really interesting move. That means they now have a lot of vested interest in the local model universe, and we could see some real innovations in hardware that works in concert with new forms of LLM formats. This will be interesting.]

Source: https://thenextweb.com/news/hugging-face-nvidia-acquisition-thomas-wolf-interview

China has initiated a yearlong inspection campaign focusing on improving vehicle quality, banning carmakers from altering technical specifications through over-the-air updates after test samples are sealed. This new regulation includes penalties such as suspension from listing products and mandates physical controls for various vehicle functions by July 2027.

Four Chinese ministries are conducting a yearlong campaign to enhance vehicle build quality and conformity.
Carmakers face penalties for changing technical parameters post-approval and must establish physical controls for several vehicle functions by mid-2027.

[RSnake: This points to a rotten core. If you have to do this, then the manufacturers are cheating, and they need to stop that. And/or their build quality is garbage for the software stack and they have to fix it in flight, leading to all kinds of bad side effects. Either way... eesh! Imagine owning one of these things.]

Source: https://thenextweb.com/news/china-auto-quality-campaign-physical-controls-ota-euro-ncap

Vijay Pande, formerly of a16z, has transitioned from managing a large healthcare investment fund to launching a smaller firm focused on AI-driven biotech investments. His new approach emphasizes fewer, more concentrated bets, as well as the challenges of using AI in biology due to the lack of accessible biological data. The field is moving towards precision medicine, where AI can potentially enhance drug development and clinical trials.

Vijay Pande has started a new investment firm that focuses on a limited number of bets in AI-driven biotech.
The advancements in AI for drug development are creating new possibilities for precision medicine.

[RSnake: A bit late to the party, but we'll see how it goes.]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=3156771

Sony and Warner Music have filed a lawsuit against Anthropic, claiming the company has engaged in the theft of intellectual property related to song lyrics. The lawsuit, which seeks substantial monetary damages, follows a pattern of legal actions involving Anthropic and other content creators regarding the usage of copyrighted material.

Sony and Warner Music allege that Anthropic has illegally used song lyrics for its AI models.
The lawsuit could result in significant financial repercussions for Anthropic.

[RSnake: Oh, quite likely it has, but not necessarily intentionally. Again, the Internet is a vast, weird, crappy place. But more intentionally, song lyrics are recited all over the place, and it's hard to call them intellectual property at that point, and more like public domain. I am not trying to apologize for Anthropic here; I'm just saying it's a hard problem. If you try to cut out Harry Potter, you will still get something just like Harry Potter if you ask for a boy-wizard muggle because fans talk all the time, and stochastically, even though there is a hole, it would produce exactly the same thing as if there were no hole.]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000804731

Tim Cook is set to step down as CEO of Apple on September 1, 2026, marking a significant transition for the company. Under Cook's leadership, Apple has evolved its approach, focusing on supply chain management and operational excellence in contrast to product-centric leadership styles.

Tim Cook re-engineered Apple's operations during his tenure as CEO.
His departure signifies a major leadership change for a key player in the tech industry.

[RSnake: He was a good one. I am interested in seeing how Apple evolves under a new leader. You might know John Ternus; he has been on a number of Apple programs over the years. I hope he does a good job and I wish him all the best in this new role.]

John Ternus neemt het roer over als CEO van Apple: de verandering die ...

Source: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/tim-cook-wasnt-a-product-guy-so-he-re-engineered-apple-instead-03ca53f4?mod=mw_rss_topstories

Got a useful tip? Looking to chat with me? Click here.